Frozen: A Heart Worth Mining
by le-chocolat391516
Summary: Anna disappears the night before her wedding and Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf set out to find her. The same night, a mysterious, unclaimed horse left in the stables after the Great Thaw vanishes. There can be only one explanation...Helsa/Hansla, some Kristanna, R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Intro

**This is my first "feature length" fic. Hope you enjoy. All characters are property of Disney, and this story is for entertainment purposes only. I don't own anything.**

 **Intro:**

If Arendelle was a magical place in the winter, it was nothing compared to spring. There was nothing more breathtaking than when the softly falling snowflakes transformed into softly falling petals of white, pink, and sometimes yellow. This was why Anna chose a spring wedding. Because her sister was the Queen of Snow and Ice, she could have both. The petals and snowflakes, ice sculptures and topiary animals, ice rinks and ballroom dancing…

Elsa was not so fond of the spring and summer as Anna was. For her, anything above 15 degrees Celsius was torture and would make her ill. She didn't get colds when she was young, because she and her ice would keep each other company day and night. The cold temperature was always perfect for her. But now that she was out and about spending time with her sister as well as attending to royal duties, she was constantly getting sick. If at all possible she would do her work inside the palace where it was a little cooler. But Anna wanted an outdoor spring wedding, and she would do anything for her sister after neglecting her for so many years.

"You don't have to have icicles for the ceremony if you don't want. Not for my sake," Elsa said one day as she was pinning Anna into a potential wedding dress. It was snow white with short puff sleeves and gold detailing on the center of the bodice and on the underskirt.

"But I _do_ want to!" Anna laughed, "I'm not doing it just for you, you're royal majesticness. I want icicles because they look so magical! And Kristoff agrees with me. He loves ice. And it will go perfectly with the white lilies. I don't know about this dress though…"

"What's wrong with it?" Elsa said, "I made sure that Gerda made it just the way you would want it. I thought you loved frills and sparkles and things like that…"

"I do," Anna sighed, "that's why I think it should have more lace! And maybe do away with the gold."

"Elsa shook her head, "Oh dear. Alright then," with a wave of her hand layers of icy lace were added to the skirt followed by a train. The sleeves became poofier and the gold detailing was replaced by an even more intricate silver design with tiny jewels "sewed" into it.

"Oh!" Anna gasped, "It's perfect! I love it! Thank you, Elsa!" and then she added seeing her sister's knowing expression, "And what makes it even better is that you helped make it! Gerda is a great seamstress but I like it better when you add the finishing touches."

"Anything for you, my dearest," Elsa replied, wrapping her sister in a hug. Anna wasn't usually this picky. When Elsa planned her birthday party a year ago, Anna wasn't even intending to have one. But you can have many chances for the perfect birthday party. You only get one shot at the perfect wedding. Elsa was understanding, but she sincerely hoped that if she ever got married she wouldn't be this particular. Maybe she would never have to worry about deciding what her dress should look like. There weren't very many viable suitor options. And she assumed that her marriage would have to be a political one, so it wouldn't be as exciting an event as Anna's would be. Gunnwald Bjornson, Baron of Reykjaford was seeking a wife at the request of his king in order to solidify the ties between Arendelle and the Northwestern Isle, and Elsa was the prime prospect. He would have married off one of his two sons to her if they weren't already married to princesses of the more important kingdoms. Arendelle was so small and overlooked, but it had a good port for trade and Queen Elsa wasn't yet spoken for. Arendelle would need an heir, so the queen of that country would surely be doing somersaults at the prospect, right?

Wrong. She envied Anna that she, being the princess, had more freedom. When Elsa escaped her cage of a bedroom, she had a few days freedom in the ice palace where she could be Queen the North Mountain. Besides Marshmallow, she was her only subject. But now that she was back she had to face her true responsibilities.

Elsa's reveries were interrupted by a tiny voice: "Are you done getting dressed yet? Can I see now?"

"Olaf!" Elsa cried, "I almost forgot! I'm so sorry! Come on in!"

Olaf waddled in excitedly and gasped as he slapped his branchy hands to his cheeks. "You're so beautiful! I can't believe my little girl is all grown up and getting married!" he sniffed. If snowmen could cry he would be tearing up. Elsa and Anna looked at each other and giggled.

"Oh Olaf, "Anna said, "We've only known you for a year, but it feels like we've known you forever!"

"We _have_ known him forever!" Elsa interjected, "Well, at least since we were little."

"And I knew you too!" Olaf added, "I saw all the mischief you two ever concocted together and all the snowballs you ever threw. You probably don't remember, but I got a few of those in the face once or twice and it wasn't very pleasant. It was months before I forgave you. Oh boy, Anna, when Sven sees you he's going to go berserk!"

"Not unless she's holding a bouquet of carrots," Elsa said.

"But he..." Olaf looked extremely confused as Elsa and Anna laughed. "Wait...is that some kind of inside joke? I want in!" Elsa and Anna laughed even harder.

"Olaf, his name is _Kristoff_! Sven is the reindeer." Anna snickered.

Olaf looked perplexed, and then a lightbulb went off. "Oh….well that's...that's totally what I meant! I was making a joke! You two are so slow. Psh. Can't recognize a joke when you hear one. Psh."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Elsa cried. The door creaked open ever so slightly and a blonde head started to reveal itself.

"No!" Anna shouted, "I'm in my wedding dress! You're not allowed to look!" She frantically looked for something to duck under, forgetting that there was a divider right behind her. Finally she found it and almost knocked it over in her rush to shield herself. Kristoff turned his head away with a serious expression on his face.

Anna sighed, "I'm sorry, Kristoff, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm only joking. You know how they say it's bad luck for the groom to see his bride in her wedding dress before the wedding?"

"No, that's not it, don't worry," He responded solemnly, looking at the ground. Elsa could see that something was very wrong, "Anna, Queen Elsa, I don't know if you've heard...I wanted to come and see if...there are rumors…"

"Rumors of what? Heard what?" Elsa urged him. Anna popped her head from behind the screen staring into Kristoff's eyes.

"It's that Prince Hans. They say he's missing."


	2. Chapter 2: Eliana

**I decided to post the first two chapters in one go. I already have a lovely chunk of this story written out, so I know where I'm going with it. But I'll only do bits at a time. This is kind of my vision of what Frozen 2 would be like. Not that I think it will be like this, but it's just what I think would be pretty cool. So here you go.**

 **Chapter 2: Eliana**

"Missing?" Elsa snorted, "So what? They want us to send a search party to the Southern Isles? I'm glad he's missing. I hope that he misses himself right off a cliff."

"That would be nice. But probably not. What I meant is that he escaped. They say he was seen boarding a ship to who-knows-where. For all we know he could be here in Arendelle. Here, Kai wanted me to give this to you. This might have something to do with it."

It was a letter with the seal of the Southern Isles, Elsa assumed. She had never seen the seal, or even the flag before, but since it was the nation in question it must be. She opened it and read the contents.

 _To Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle,_

 _Humble greetings from the Southern Isles. I am writing you personally due to the utmost respect and reverence I hold for you and the people of your great nation._

 _It grieves and humiliates me to inform you of the disappearance of my unfortunate brother Hans Westergaard, formerly known as Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. I am fully aware of his unforgivable actions against you and the Princess and as punishment, he had been working as a servant under the supervision of palace staff up until his disappearance two weeks ago. (I'd like to note that we were careful to give him the most gruelling tasks that not even the lowest servants were willing to do.)_

 _His disappearance causes me to feel great concern for Arendelle, considering his previous intentions. If I had known what he was capable of, I would have urged my late father not to send him to your coronation. We have searched all of the islands of our humble nation and he is nowhere to be found. I fear he may be on his way to you to finish what he started. I advise that you be on guard and take the necessary precautions in the event that he be found in Arendelle. I have known him all his life and I know just how malicious and devious he can be. Even more than you have seen. He is a heavy cross that our nation is forced to bear. I hope, as I have stated in previous correspondence, that you will be able to see beyond this unfortunate circumstance and continue to find friendship with your neighbors in the Southern Isles. I greatly esteem you and your family for the contributions you have made to this region of the world, and I sincerely hope that we will continue to maintain peaceful diplomacy and commerce._

 _Your humble friend and neighbor,_

 _King Caleb Westergaard III of the Southern Isles_

Elsa snorted, staring at the letter, "Peaceful diplomacy and commerce? Since when did we have _any_ diplomacy or commerce with them? They're not exactly of consequence to us. No military asset. No..." her face fell as she looked at Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf. Anna was petrified, clinging to Kristoff for dear life, and Olaf was doing the same with Anna's skirt. Clearly she had forgotten that she was wearing the wedding dress Kristoff wasn't supposed to see.

"S-so he's here?" she whimpered, "i-in Arendelle?"

"We don't know that for sure," Kristoff whispered softly into her hair.

"What if he is trying to assassinate you!?" Anna cried, "I thought we were safe! That stupid King Caleb! Why couldn't he keep a better eye one that...that monster-"

"Calm down, Anna," Elsa interjected, "There are dozens of places that he could have gone to. Why would he come back to Arendelle? He probably knows that if he did he would be eaten alive." She sounded more confident than she actually was. She looked down again at the words, " _I have known him all his life and I know just how malicious and devious he can be. Even more than you have seen…_ "

She decided to take the advice of the King of the Southern Isles, more for Anna's sake than for her own. She wanted Anna to have the best wedding ever without a single care. She commanded that extra guards be placed around the palace and in the city. But she didn't want to frighten the people or create a scene, so she refrained from putting up wanted posters and granting rewards to those who might spot this pitiable Hans Westergaard.

After about three months or so the rumor became old news and the focus shifted back to the fast-approaching wedding. It was March now, and Elsa was starting to feel the sniffles creeping up already. But Elsa had to charge forward without complaining, because the wedding was one week away and the menu and cake still had not been chosen.

"I was thinking," Anna said to Kristoff one day as he was in the stables brushing Sven, "chocolate with buttercream frosting. Or should we have cream cheese frosting? Or whipped cream frosting?"

"Yeah that sounds great," Kristoff responded absentmindedly, picking at what might be a tick or a scab under Sven's ear, "Ow that hurts!" He muttered in his throaty Sven voice, "Just hold still!"

"But which one, Kristoff?" Anna pleaded.

"Huh? Which what?"

"Which kind of frosting!"

"Oh, well, you like chocolate, don't you?"

"The cake itself will be chocolate. If the frosting is chocolate it might be a bit too much, don't you think?"

"Right, right. Hey...that horse. It's still here?"

Anna turned around to see where Kristoff was looking and said nonchalantly, "Yes, I suppose it is. But-"

"Hey Olliver!" Kristoff called out to the lanky stable keeper passing by, "You still haven't found the owner?"

"No, not yet. We've given up a long time ago."

Ever since Elsa's coronation a year ago, this mysterious horse was left in the stables. After the thaw, all the palace guests were able to return home with all their belongings, ships, and horses, but this one was left behind. Olliver reached out to all the returned coronation guests to see if someone was missing their horse, but the palace received no response. So they took it in as one of their own. Anna thought that the horse looked familiar, but she saw a lot of horses pass through the town.

"Well that's a shame," Kristoff sighed, "Anyway...yes, my love. Frosting! Uh...whatever you want will be perfect."

"But I don't know which one I want! I need your opinion!" Anna cried.

"Uh...what was the...second one you said?"

"Cream cheese."

"Cream cheese it is!"

"Oh, you're so right! I was thinking the same thing, actually. And what about the decorations?"

"For the cake?"

"Of course!"

"Um...how about flowers?"

"Yes! White and pink roses, right? Perfect! Thank you Kristoff, you're so smart! I have to go tell Elsa!"

She scurried from the stable and into the palace. "Elsa!" she shouted, "Elsa! Where are you?" Surely she wouldn't be in her room, she thought, she has spent too much of her life in there. But sometimes she feared that one fine day she would just roll up into a ball of ice and hide there again. Or to the North Mountain. She had so much on her plate, she wasn't feeling well, and she knew how overwhelmed she was. And the wedding planning must be making things even more hectic. But to her relief she found Elsa in the ballroom looking tired, but happy, directing the servants on where to place the pink and white garlands.

"There you are!," Anna cried, "You've started this already? But the wedding isn't for another week."

Elsa smiled at her sister, "I thought I would get a head start. Later I'll add my own finishing touches."

"Oh Elsa, it looks perfect! I'm so excited..." Anna's face fell slightly.

"Anna, what's wrong,?" Elsa asked concernedly.

"It's just…" she started, tearing up, "I'm getting married and...I'm really happy, I really am. I love Kristoff so much, but I-I love you too. And I'm going to miss you. And the palace and all the servants and the memories. But I'll miss you the most. And I just wish we had been able to spend more time together."

"Anna," Elsa assured her, putting her hands on her shoulders and shaking her gently, "this will always be your home. You won't be far away. You can always come and visit and I will still be here until I'm gray and old. You'll always know where to find me." But the last thing Anna said hit her and she put her arms down, looking up at the wall. "I'm sorry that we didn't have enough time together as kids. It's my fault that your childhood was ruined. It was selfish of me."

"No, it wasn't your fault," Anna insisted, "You were only trying to protect me. It was just...an unfortunate circumstance." She paused. "More than anything, I'm worried about you."

"Me?"

"Yes," she stared at the floor digging her toe into invisible dirt, "I don't want you to be alone."

"I won't be alone! I have Olaf and Kai and Gerda…" Elsa tried to look convincing, but the truth was that it wouldn't be quite the same as having her sister and best friend around. Anna made no response, so she decided to change the subject. She leaned forward, folded her arms and whispered slyly, "Hey. Do you want to build a snowman?" Anna's face lit up.

Behind the palace there was a greenhouse that had been abandoned since their parents dismissed the majority of the servants. Anna would go there sometimes when she was too bored of playing house with the paintings on the walls. She would go to the greenhouse and pretend she was a wild woman living in the jungle. And then when she got bored of that she would go back to the paintings. As she got older, and especially after her parents died, she would go there just to think. And cry. Now that she had Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf she didn't have to go alone. But for the next three days she just wanted to spend as much time with Elsa as she could before she disappeared into a new life with her husband.

The greenhouse had a high ceiling and Elsa had turned the whole thing into a kind of winter wonderland. In the center was a miniature ice palace similar to the one in the North Mountain, only it had a lot of hiding places for snowball throwing. The vines on the walls were dripping with icicles and thick blanket of snow was covering the ground. If someone woke up in the middle of it they would think they woke up in the middle of the forest in December. Anna was all bundled up with a coat, hat and gloves, but Elsa wore one of her many original ice gown designs. They got better and better as time went on. And they tended to be surprisingly easy to move in. Today it was a light pink A-line with an almost chiffon-looking skirt and a lace-like bodice.

Anna and Elsa stared at their beautiful masterpiece. Elsa let Anna do most of the work this time, and it wasn't such a bad job.

"Absolutely stunning!" Elsa giggled. "What are you going to name him?"

"Why does it have to be a he? Why can't it be a snowwoman?"

"Oh, sorry. It doesn't really look like a snowwoman."

"Well it is," Anna insisted, "see the eyelashes?"

"What eyelashes?" Elsa squinted. She leaned in and saw two holes with some curvy indents coming out of them. She pointed to them and said, "Is that supposed to be them?"

"Duh."

"Alright then. May I?"

"Sure."

She waved her hand in a circle over the snowwoman and said, "She just needs a few more curves. And some hair."

The creation slowly took on a slightly more human shape without it's height changing. Icy ringlets fell over it's head and Elsa pulled a silvery daisy from the air and placed it among the curls.

"That's more of what I had in mind, "Anna mused, "she would be perfect for Olaf. What should we name her?"

"How about Anna?" Elsa joked.

"No, I think we should call her Elsa."

"She doesn't look like an Elsa. I look like an Elsa."

"But she doesn't look like an Anna either."

"Why don't we name her after both of us?" Elsa suggested.

"Elsanna?" Anna wrinkled her nose, "No, I don't like the sound of that."

"Eliana?"

"Yeah! That's a pretty name. Eliana it is! Nice to meet you, Eliana, I hope you like warm hugs!"


	3. Chapter 3: The Horse

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! Here's some more for you!**

Chapter 3: The Horse

Anna, out of breath, had made a stash of snow balls and was crouching behind a wall towards the top of the mini ice castle. She was sure that she had found a place that Elsa had forgotten about, when she was pelted in the face.

"Ouch!" She whipped around fully armed, but Elsa was not in the direction from which the snowball had come. Then she heard a laugh below her. She leaned over the railing, but there was no Elsa. She ran around to the other side and there she was laughing her head off. Anna made a weak throw at her sister, who dodged it effortlessly. "Hey, you cheated! You're only allowed to throw the snow, not conjure it into my face! And only the snow that's already on the ground!"

"Ok fine," Elsa replied. And then she quickly rolled up a ball and chucked it at Anna. It too hit her in the face. Elsa had a very good arm.

"Urgh!" Anna shouted. She swung around, slid down an icy slide, and fell with a soft thump into the snow, after which she proceeded to chase Elsa around picking up handfulls of powder and throwing them at her. Anna kept slipping, but Elsa pranced right along like it was nothing. Finally Anna was able to catch up to her and she tackled her, slamming a large clump of snow onto her head. They both fell over, laughing hysterically, and just laid there side by side, out of breath.

"I wish it could be like this forever," Ann sighed while proceeding to make a snow angel.

"Yeah me too," Elsa replied, following suit, "But don't worry. You won't miss me. Once you have tons of babies you won't have time to think about me."

"That's not true!" Anna cried, looking at her sister, "You're my best friend. Not just my sister. I will come and see you every day. And if we're far away I will write you every day."

"Yeah, that's good," Elsa trailed off, "Well, it's starting to get dark. We should head back now."

At last the eve of the wedding came. Guests were already arriving from around the region. Elsa had added the icicles to the garden and the finishing touches to the ballroom. The menu was chosen and Anna decided that she and Kristoff wanted buttercream frosting instead of cream cheese. After all the initial preparations were finished for the night, Elsa and Anna found themselves sitting on the roof of the palace facing the snow-capped mountains. It was late enough that the villagers were turning out the lights and going to sleep, so Anna and Elsa could see a good number of stars in the sky.

"Look!" Anna said, "There's Orion, and that one's Cassiopeia. Kristoff knows almost all of them. He's been teaching me. He's so smart."

Elsa laughed, "Why do you like coming up here? Isn't this where you came with Prince Hans?"

Anna shook her head, "Nope. It was that roof over there." She pointed to the ridge on the opposite side of the clock tower.

"Wow, you remember exactly which roof it was?"

"You tend to memorize things like that when you're in 'love'." She held up two fingers on each hand like quotation marks. "For example, I remember everything about Oaken's Trading Post where I first met Kristoff. Even though I didn't know at the time that I was going to marry him." She sighed dreamily. "Soon you'll understand."

"HehCHOO!," Elsa half laughed, half sneezed, "Yeah I'm sure I will." There was a pause.

"Have you ever thought about getting married?" Anna inquired, handing Elsa a handkerchief.

"No, I have not," she replied flatly. Anna had asked her this several times as if every time was the first time. It was starting to get annoying and it kind of killed the mood.

"But what about Baron Bjornson? He sounds nice. You're never going to respond to his letters?"

Elsa felt the ridge underneath her fingers freeze up. "No, I'm too busy." She had no interest in getting married. Romance was a word that meant nothing to her. But everyone was pressuring her into finding it. Especially her sister.

"But you have time to play in the snow?"

"Anna…"

"You should write him! It doesn't take that long. You never know what could happen! If you get to know him you might find that you like him. Kristoff wasn't really my cup of tea when I first met him. He kind of smelled funny and he wore the same outfit all the time and he was kind of rude and not as handsome as Prince Hans...but he just needed a little bit of fixing up, and now he's perfect for me. I don't think there's anyone more handsome than him in the world." She sighed and continued, "And besides. Don't you think it's bad...business practices to ignore politicians?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Business practices?"

"Yeah, you know, doesn't that cause wars and stuff?"

"Don't you mean diplomacy?"

"Sure, that."

"No, it's definitely not going to start a war. And if you don't even know the correct term for something, you probably shouldn't be giving advice about it."

Anna looked hurt. "Well, I want to learn more about it."

"You should go to bed. You have a big day tomorrow."

"You too. I hope your cold gets better…"

"Good night."

Something told Elsa that she should hug her sister and tell her she loved her, but she was too angry. So Anna disappeared down the silvery ice staircase that Elsa had created and Elsa remained there letting off steam. She shouldn't have been so short with her, especially right before the wedding. But nothing set her off more than the question, "Why aren't you married?" She was trying to pretend that marriage and romance didn't exist, but people insisted on reminding her.

But what upset her more was that Anna was leaving. Even when she locked herself in her room not too many years ago, she had the comfort of knowing that she had a sister and parents there who loved her. Although she was always alone, she was never really alone. But now she was utterly alone. Anna had to devote herself to Kristoff from now on. No matter how much Anna said that Elsa would remain the central part of her life, she knew she couldn't anymore.

After laying in bed for what could have been hours, Elsa was finally able to shake off all these thoughts and worries just enough to fall asleep. But her sleep didn't seem to last long. She was awoken by a loud, piercing shriek coming from Anna's room down the hall. At first she thought she was dreaming. But then the shrieks continued and finally stopped

"Anna?" she muttered, sitting up. "Anna!"

She threw herself out of bed and rushed to Anna's room. "Anna!" She screamed. But the bed was empty and the sheets and the window both laid open.

"No no no no," Elsa mumbled, unable to process what was happening. She heard the voices of the servants behind her muttering something, but she wasn't registering what they were saying. She ran to the open window and hung herself out of it to get a clear view of the ground. There was a ledge that led straight to a large tree, and a few branches were broken off, evidence of a struggle.

"Anna!" she cried, ready to throw herself out the window as if that would get her to her sister faster. The whole room was slowly covering itself with thick white ice, and the servants tensed.

Elsa could hear Kristoff saying her name as if he was far away. She felt him grab ahold of her, trying to bring her to her feet. She didn't realize that she was on the floor. She looked down and noticed shards of what looked like glass, except that they were reflective like a mirror. But Anna's vanity was perfectly intact. The window was wide open, but not a single pane was broken.

There was no time to waste on panicking. "Call the guards," Elsa ordered, turning to Kai while still looking at the glass shards, "and have them begin searching for the princess immediately!" Kai stood there shocked for a moment, but then obeyed.

Elsa didn't know what else to do. She just planted herself there leaning over the window sill, crying and crying. The room grew colder and colder until it spread through the entire palace and out to the courtyard. Olaf put his arm around her as Kristoff searched the room. He noticed the glass shards at the window and his eyes traced a trail of them leading to the bed.

"What's this?" he whispered making his way over to the bed. Elsa turned around anxiously. He bent down and reached out to pick a piece up.

"Kristoff, I wouldn't-" Olaf squeaked, but it was too late.

"Ouch!" he cried. The shard cut him and the cut started releasing blood. He sucked on his finger and then said indifferently, "It's ok, I'm fine. Let's go."

Soon all inhabitants were gathered in front of the castle still in their night clothes. Lanterns and torches were blazing as people stood around, unsure of what to do. Elsa was helplessly directing the guards where to search.

"Be sure to check the North Mountain. And send your men to the outlying kingdoms as well. Make sure you don't return until she is found!" She was angry. So angry. They should have been taking care of their kingdom. Their princess. It was all their fault. Someone had to be at fault. She couldn't scream at the person who did this, so she screamed at the guards instead. Suddenly she heard someone shout her name as the last guard trotted away.

"Queen Elsa!" the voice cried, "Queen Elsa!"

She whipped around to see Olliver scrambling over to her. Falling to the ground, he panted anxiously, "The horse...The horse, it's gone!"

It took her a moment to understand what he was referring to. Why was Olliver worrying about a stupid horse at a time like this? But then she remembered. _The_ horse. The golden brown horse with the white mane. The one that was left unclaimed for over a year. Suddenly she recalled something Anna had said to her. _He looks so familiar. And somehow he gives me the willies._

And then someone else's words came to her mind: _I fear he may be on his way to you to finish what he started. I advise that you be on guard and take the necessary precautions in the event that he be found in Arendelle._

"Him," she muttered, icy cold tears forming in her eyes. She was not aware whether or not she was saying the words in her head or aloud, "It was him."


	4. Chapter 4: Onward and Upward

**Sorry guys! I am kind of slow on updating this. I work 60 hours a week and don't have a lot of time to write. But I am trying to work on this story every spare moment I get. Here is a longer chapter to make up for it. Please leave comments and let me know what you think.**

 **Chapted 4: Onward and Upward**

"Him," she muttered, icy cold tears forming in her eyes. She was not aware whether or not she was saying the words in her head or aloud, "It was him. It was his horse. He did this. How could I be so stupid?! HOW COULD I NOT KNOW?!"

Waves of ice shot themselves out of her fingers and formed a spiky wall in front of her. Everyone gasped and stepped back, frightened. But Elsa ignored them as she fell helplessly to the ground. She should have hugged her sister before going to bed. She should have told her she loved her. She should have put up those wanted posters. She should have set up better security. She should have gotten rid of that horse even though the Southern Isles didn't respond to Olliver's inquiry about it. She should have never left Anna's side since receiving that warning letter from King Caleb. She should have taken it more seriously. She should have, she should have, she should have.

"Him?" Olliver inquired, "Who is him?"

Elsa looked the old man in the eyes, "Kjekk, Olliver. Bring me Kjekk. I'm going after her myself. I'm not going to sit here while that monster has my sister."

"But your majesty," Olliver muttered, "It's too dangerous. And there will be no guards left to accompany you. "

"Do as I say," she growled, frost forming on the tips of her fingers.

"Yes, your majesty." He bowed and then ran off to fetch Anna's horse.

"Elsa!" Olaf cried weakly, coming up behind her. Kristoff was standing next to him. "We're coming with you!"

"No, I can do this on my own. I have to do this on my own. This is all my fault. I was supposed to protect her."

Suddenly Kristoff was able to speak. He grabbed Elsa's wrist and whispered, "Elsa, let us come with you. She's my fiancee. She's our family too."

Elsa's tear-filled eyes looked into his. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Kristoff stood up straight as Olliver appeared pulling a tired and frightened-looking Kjekk behind him. "We need to get some supplies. Elsa, you get dressed. I'll get Sven and pack a wagon."

Elsa could have just rode away still dressed in her nightgown. "I couldn't care less about my clothes right now." she told Kristoff, "Gerda, fetch my cloak." But Gerda was already there holding it out to her. Elsa wanted it more for comfort and concealment than for warmth. She threw it on her back and pulled her dishevelled silvery braid over the hood.

Gerda was frantically stuffing boots, suitcases of underclothes, and dress bags into the wagon as if Elsa would be worrying about her outfit. Kristoff, Olaf, Elsa, and some of the villagers were filling the back with food, firewood, tarps, blankets, and some more of their own personal supplies.

Elsa hopped on the horse and grabbed the reins. Then, turning to Gerda and Kai, she shouted, "Write a letter to King Caleb III of the Southern Isles first thing in the morning. Inform him that his brother has captured the Princess of Arendelle, and that we request assistance in finding the both of them. Demand that this man be severely punished when he is returned to his country. Mucking out a few stalls, or whatever they had him do, didn't seem to teach him a good enough lesson."

She, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven set off just as the sun was rising over the mountains. Villagers that had still been sleeping were poking their heads out the window at the noise, not really sure what was happening. Elsa thought that they could catch up with the guards, but Olliver was right. They had long gone. She had no idea where to start. If I were an evil, conniving Prince Hans plotting to take over Arendelle, where would I hide? He couldn't have gone too far. It hadn't been that long since Anna disappeared.

Once they reached the forest, the sun was already up and they could see around them a little more clearly.

"Elsa!" Olaf cried, "Look! Hoof prints!" Elsa stopped the horse as Kristoff stopped the wagon, and sure enough there was a mass of hoof prints in the soil pointing east. But it was hard to make out how many horses had made them.

"Those must be the guards' horses," Elsa declared, "We should go and find them."

"No," Kristoff countered, "We should split up. That way we are more likely to find her. I know these woods, so we won't get lost."

"You're right," Elsa said, "Which way should we go?"

"Let's head northwest towards the mountain."

As the sun got higher and higher in the sky, she could really feel it. She pulled the hood over her head to block it, but at the same time the cloak made her sweat. She was feeling a little feverish and she leaned forward weakly.

"Elsa, are you alright?" Kristoff asked, who was driving behind her.

"I'm fine," she stated flatly, feeling a little loopy, urging Kjekk to move faster, looking around for more signs of her sister. They had been moving for over an hour and there was still nothing.

"We'll stop at Oaken's. I left my sleigh there and then we can move more easily through the snow."

"I don't want to make any stops," Elsa replied exhaustedly, "We're losing time."

"The wagon isn't going to make it up the mountains in the snow. We need a sleigh. We'll make it quick."

"Ok, fine."

They arrived at Oaken's, and Kristoff hurried to the stable to get the sleigh, but it wasn't there.

"Where is it?" Olaf blurted.

"Kristoff, you said it was here!" Elsa cried.

"It was!" He ran to the trading post, Elsa trailing behind him, and burst through the door.

"Hoohoo!" Came a cheerful voice from the other side of the counter.

"Oaken! Where is my-" Kristoff shouted.

"Have you seen my sister?!" Elsa cried, cutting him off, leaning over the counter, "Or have you seen a man with reddish hair pass through?"

"Oh dear," Oaken replied, "I'm sorry, your majesty, I haffen't seen Princess Anna. But dere vas a man dat passed through yesterday vith red hair."

"You did!?" she shouted, "What did he look like?"

"Uhm…he had red hair-"

"Did he have sideburns?"

"No, no I vouldn't say he had sideburns, but-"

"Was he tall and deceptively handsome?!"

"Vell handsome, maybe. Deceptiff? I don't know. I'm not one to judge looks-"

Elsa sighed. Oaken wasn't being very helpful. "What was his name?!"

He thought for a moment and then said, "I think his name vas Levi or Larry or something like dat. Something that started with an L. He vas heading south towards the village. And he forgot his change..."

Elsa looked inquisitively at him and then sighed again, turning away, "Okay. Thank you any-"

"My sleigh, Oaken! Where's my sleigh?!" Kristoff yelled. Elsa was kind of miffed that he was so worried about his sleigh. They could work around it. She was the master of snow and ice. They needed to hurry.

"Kristoff-" she started.

"I'm sorry, I haff no idea, friend."

"Kristoff, it's fine," Elsa assured him, "I can turn the wagon into a sleigh. No big deal. Actually, I don't know why I didn't think of that before..."

"Ok," Kristoff breathed, "Let's go then. But first, I need these carrots."

"That will be-"

"Twenty!"

"No good. I von't go lower than thirty."

"I won't do anything higher than twenty-five."

"Oh come on!" Elsa interrupted, slamming a bag of coins on the table and grabbing the carrots, "Let's go!" She dragged Kristoff out the door and to the wagon.

She threw the carrots in the back and hopped on Kjekk's back.

"Hey! I need those right now for Sven!" Kristoff growled.

"We have to get moving!" Elsa shouted, disbelievingly, "Aren't you the least bit concerned about finding your fiancee? Do you still want your wedding to happen?"

"Well I actually-"

She didn't even stop to listen to what he had to say. She just zapped the wagon wheels with ice, turning it into a sled, and kept moving ahead towards the snow. Olaf turned to him. "She's right you know."

"You too?" Kristoff cried, "My sleigh is gone! Plus, it's the one that Anna gave me!"

"I know, but unless Anna is _inside_ the sleigh it doesn't matter. What do you think, Sven?" He looked back and forth between Kristoff and Sven, hoping that since Sven and him tended to speak for each other, it would bring Kristoff to his senses. This would be the part where Kristoff would grunt, "He's right you know. Anna is much more important," but no words were coming out of Kristoff's mouth. And Sven was anxiously nodding his head at his owner looking confused at his silence. Something seemed unusual, but Olaf brushed it off. "Let's catch up to Elsa," Olaf insisted.

"Fine. Let's go, Sven."

Hours passed and there were still no signs of Anna. Elsa felt like she had searched the entire nation of Arendelle already. She was exhausted and hungry, but they had to keep going. There was snow on the ground, but the sun had still been blazing overhead. It was starting to set when Kristoff said, "Elsa, we should stop and get some sleep."

"But there's still some sun out," she panted.

"Elsa, we're not going to be able to find her if we're incapable of functioning." Kristoff insisted.

Elsa stalled the horse and sighed, "You're probably right. Ok, let's set up camp." She jumped off Kjekk's back hesitantly, still looking over her shoulder constantly. She had been doing it all day and her neck was starting to ache.

Kristoff lit up some tinder and started throwing logs on it. He pulled out an enormous pink fish. "Mmm, salmon! My favorite!"

Elsa just shook her head. How could he be so calm and collected?

"Oh salmon's my favorite too!" Olaf yelped.

"How do you know what salmon tastes like?" Kristoff mused.

"Well, I like to smell it at least. Especially with lemon juice. I imagine it must taste even better."

Kristoff laughed and proceeded to remove the fish's innards and stick a branch through it. "You better keep your distance from this fire, buddy."

"Ok, well have fun with your fishes!" He hopped over to Elsa who he found sitting on a log facing the trees, juggling snowflakes in one hand.

"Are you going to make it?" Olaf asked, sitting next to her.

"I guess I have to," she responded, "I've had moments today where I wondered if there is any point to doing this. I feel like we are going in circles."

"Well, we haven't run into our own tracks yet, so I don't think so."

"I just wish...when we were younger I shut myself in my room all the time so I could protect her from my powers."

"I know, you told me."

"And we never got to spend time together. We didn't have the chance for a normal sisterly bonding experience. And the last time I saw her I was really mean to her. And now, for all I know, she could be dead."

"My nose tells me that she's just fine. She is strong and determined. She never gave up when she went looking for you. So I don't think she would give up on getting back to you. And I'm sure she'll forgive you when you see her again."

"Thanks, Olaf," Elsa smiled, "Oh, I forgot to tell you! Anna and I made you a snow friend."

"Really?! For me!?"

"Yes! But she is back in Arendelle."

"SHE?!"

Elsa laughed. "Yes. She may have melted, though. But it shouldn't be hard to bring her here." And with a wave of her hands, Eliana appeared. She was immobile, but she was the most beautiful thing Olaf had ever seen.

He gasped, "She's even more beautiful than summer!"

Elsa giggled. "She's missing a little something. Here, help me."

Olaf excitedly ran to the forest, Elsa following close behind. This was a good distraction for her since she was completely helpless right now in finding Anna. Olaf picked up some rocks for eyes and branches for arms, making sure they were the same length as his. Elsa picked two thin stems for eyelashes and pulled the leaves off. As she did, she looked down at her nightgown and realized how ridiculous it looked. She added a long blue A-line skirt with a basque waistline and shimmering light gold off the shoulder bodice. Elegant yet easy to move in. "That's better," she whispered to herself.

She and Olaf put everything in place and stared at their masterpiece.

"Okay, now what?" Olaf asked anxiously.

"Ummm…"

"When does she come to life?"

"Well," she mused, "that's a good question. You tell me. How did you come to life?"

"I don't know. I just did." His face fell.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'll give her her own personal snow cloud so she doesn't melt."

Elsa placed a cloud over the creation and walked away, but Olaf stayed there and started grinning sheepishly at the creation. "Hello," he said, shaking the immobile hand, "My name is Olaf, and I like warm hugs! What is your name?" There was no response. Olaf's arms and face fell as he walked away.

"Eliana. Nice to meet you."

Olaf gasped and whipped around. "You-you're alive?!"

She stretched her arms and batted her eyelashes. "I guess so. Where am I?" She looked around her and Olaf just ogled at her, speechless. She had a voice like honey and she moved so fluidly despite her awkward shape. "Are you alright?" she asked, peering at him. He didn't say anything. , "Can't you talk?" she added.

"Eh...I….deh…." was all Olaf could say.

"That's ok. You're cute." And she patted him gently on the head and walked away, looking around at the dark scenery. Olaf just waddled after her.

Olaf at last came to his senses. "So," he said smoothly, straightening his nose, "where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm from the greenhouse. Where are you from?"

"The greenhouse?"

"Really? I never saw you there before."

"No...I mean...what greenhouse?"

"The one with the big ice castle."

"Oh, I'm not familiar...I come from an ice castle too! In the North Mountain!"

"Where is the North Mountain?"

"Uhm...in the north."

"Oh," she giggled.

Meanwhile, Elsa was with Kristoff trying to help him with the food. Kristoff was humming and seemed to be in a cheery mood, except that he looked extremely tired and ill and had dark circles under his eyes. He had three large fish hanging over the fire. He took one and hung it up to Sven's nose who proceeded to sniff it curiously and then gag.

"Do we really need three fish?"

"Yup!" he replied cheerfully, sucking on a cut on his hand.

"Uh...shouldn't we ration?"

"Nope!"

Elsa paused confusedly. "What are you so happy about?" she inquired.

"Oh nothing, I'm just sitting here loving this!"

"Loving what?"

"Roughing it," Kristoff sighed, "like the good old days when it was just me and Sven. It almost feels like that again. Don't you agree Sven?"Sven nodded, " _Yes, those were the best times!_ "

"Yeah, I bet you must have had a lot of good times. But now you have Anna to add more happiness to it."

"Not really," he replied nonchalantly. Sven's ears perked.

Elsa's eyes went wide. "Not really?" Did she hear him wrong?

"No. My life was a lot more simpler before Anna and you came along. Sometimes I wish I never helped her get to the North Mountain."

" _Excuse me?!"_

"I also miss not having people like you nag me all the time like you are now," he growled. Elsa was speechless. Where was this coming from all of a sudden? At this point he was just ranting. "Like the sleigh. That sleigh is really important to me and you just acted like you didn't care..." Sven's mouth was open, looking back and forth between Elsa and Kristoff and back again. He made a disconcerted noise.

"Kristoff, wha-" Elsa gasped

"...and you go on about how badly you want to rescue Anna when you almost killed her twice and you ignored her for years." He was standing now, staring her down. "And she told me how mean you were to her the night before the wedding. Clearly you don't _actually_ care about her."

He had gone too far. She leaped to her feet and ice was streaming out of her fingertips. A fierce wind blew carrying large snow flurries with it. "How _dare_ you-"

They were interrupted by two cheerful voices coming towards them. "Look!" Olaf cried, "She's alive! She's alive! Eliana, meet Queen Elsa, Sven-I mean Kristoffer-"

"It's _Kristoff_!" Kristoff bellowed.

"-and then _that_ one is Sven," he concluded, pointing to the reindeer. Olaf grinned like a proud father.

"It's nice to meet you all!" Eliana said cheerfully.

Elsa put on a fake smile and said, "It's nice to meet you too, Eliana." Kristoff just looked on grumpily.

Olaf gasped, turning to Eliana, who just stared back at him calmly, "I'm so excited to show you around all of Arendelle. I'll show you the ice castle with all of my little children…"

"You have children?!" Eliana gasped.

Olaf turned towards the fire. "Elsa! Can we go to the North Mountain and see the ice palace?!"

"How many children do you have?" Eliana continued.

"I'm not sure Olaf," Elsa interjected, "we need to find Anna. Maybe we can check to see if-"

"Everyone be quiet!" Kristoff whispered loudly. He looked around anxiously and said, "We need to get out of here." He started pouring snow on the fire frantically.

"What is it, Kristoff?" Elsa whispered.

"Elsa, you hook up Sven to the wagon and get Kjekk."

"What about us?" Olaf asked, "what should we do?"

But Kristoff ignored them. He continued to put out the fire and wrapped the fish gently and slowly in a cheesecloth. Elsa stared at him dumbfoundedly as she calmed a panicking Sven. If they were in some kind of danger, should he be really worrying about the fish?

"What is it, Kristoff?" Elsa asked again, more urgently.

"Wolves. Keep your voices down."

After hitching the wagon, she hopped on Kjekk's back. "Eliana, Olaf, you get in the wagon."

"No, they're not coming with us."

" _What?_ "

"They're too burdensome." he said flatly.

She paused for a moment, shocked and confused, but then said to the snow people, "Just ignore him. He doesn't mean-" and then she heard what Kristoff had heard. Snarling.

"Go, Sven!" Kristoff yelled, and the sleigh was off. Elsa heard the growling and yelping get closer to her. Kjekk whinnied and started running like light speed. "No, Kjekk!" Elsa cried, "Stop! Olaf! Eliana!" but they were out of sight as the light of the lantern got further away. Kjekk hurried in the same direction as Kristoff and Sven, and Elsa had no choice but to look in front of her. She heard Sven cry frightenedly. He was getting further and further away from her and Kjekk. "Kristoff! Stop!" she screamed. The wolves seemed far enough away that he could stop and let her catch up with him.

She heard Kristoff yell something half inaudibly, "...on your own…..home…...enough!"

" _WHAT?!"_ she screamed. She could hardly hear him. She tried to urge Kjekk to go faster, but he could only accelerate so much.

The wolves were getting closer and closer. She almost escaped them when Kjekk encountered a large fallen tree, whinnied, and bucked her off.

"NO!" Elsa screamed as she thumped into the soft snow and Kjekk galloped away. The light of the lantern was completely out of sight by now. All she had now was the light of the full moon and the glowing of the wolves' eyes. She tried chasing after Kjekk, but there was no point. The wolves were gradually approaching her. She didn't know what else to do, so she ran.

They chased. She was panting heavily and spun around just enough to see two wolves coming right at her. Because she was running and she couldn't see, she didn't have very good aim. But nevertheless she shot out a wave of ice blindly and it was just enough to hit one of them in the muzzle, slowing it down. Not enough though. So she created a wall of ice, but it wasn't thick enough and with little effort they broke through it like it was merely slush.

They were too close now. She was going to meet her doom. She would never find her sister. Maybe if there was a heaven she would meet her there. Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad.

Everything happened in slow motion. She saw the teeth as she stood there motionless. Suddenly she felt a strong hand grab her under her arms and before she knew it she was sitting side saddle on a moving horse.


	5. Chapter 5: Kubbergrove

**Chapter 5: Kubbergrove**

* * *

Everything happened in slow motion. She saw the teeth as she stood there motionless. Suddenly she felt a strong hand grab her under her arms and before she knew it she was sitting side saddle on a moving horse. Or a reindeer? A lantern hanging above her head looked like Kristoff's, but she couldn't see if it was him holding it. The lighting was awkward and she couldn't turn around as the person had her pinned by the waist.

"Kristoff?!" she cried, "Sven?!" Did Kristoff come back for her? Where was the wagon?

"Faster, Sitron!" a man's voice said in her ear that sounded somewhat familiar. She was able to turn her head just enough to see out of the back of her eye that it wasn't Kristoff. The man had darker hair and a short beard. She didn't like the idea of strange man being this close to her, even if there were wolves chasing after them.

"Excuse me, sir!" she yelled regally, pretending to be calm and collected, "I am the queen of this land and am grateful for your assistance, but I have everything perfectly under con-"

The light of the lantern shone just enough on the the horse to recognize it. It was _the_ horse. The unclaimed horse. Prince Hans' horse.

She whipped around to face him as best as she could, and sure enough, even with the slight change of appearance and passing of time he was unmistakeable. He just kept looking fixedly ahead, then behind him, then straight ahead again.

" _YOU!_ " she screamed, "WHERE IS MY SISTER?! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER!?"

He didn't respond. The horse turned sharply to the right and then up a hill, and she almost slid off before Hans pulled her back up. Now she was half straddling the horse, one of her knees pinned under her, and her face was smashed in an awkward and unattractive position against Hans' torso . She tried to pull herself free. She would rather be eaten alive by wolves than be in the arms of this man. He had kidnapped Anna, and now he was kidnapping her. Would he take her to her sister? Had he been trying to lure her here somehow? Force her to marry him and then kill them both so he can become king? Is that why he hadn't fed her to the wolves?

"Let me go!" she screamed, trying to push herself off of him, "or else I'll-" She swung her arm in what she thought might be the direction of his face and he grabbed it instantly with the hand holding the lantern, aiming it toward the sky just in time to send shards of ice shooting up into the air. They collided with the lantern, almost knocking it out of his hands.

"I wouldn't do that," he panted, "Here, hold this." He stuffed the lantern into her uplifted hand and got a firm hold of both reins. Eyes wide, she held the lantern in the air with one hand and grasped the lapels of his coat with the other, unsure of what else to do. She could have brought the lantern down on his head, but then she might bring it down on her own head too, and then they would fall off the horse and get eaten by hungry wolves. So, lantern held high in the air, she was frozen in place. Almost literally. She could see over his shoulder that the wolves were still close behind them. They were coming to a clearing where the moon shone brighter. "Ready?" he yelled.

"Ready for what?!" she yelled back. Suddenly they were moving faster and faster.

"Hold on tight!" he yelled. She clung to him, not sure what was going to happen, and suddenly they were airborne. In a split second she saw below her empty space and in front of her a frightening cliff, and some frightened wolves unwilling to jump. Fearing they would fall to their deaths, she instinctively reached both palms in the direction of the great abyss below forming a bridge of ice. The lantern that had been in her right hand crashed against it and bounced off into the depths below, never to be seen again. They landed with a loud thump into the snow on the other side. Apparently a bridge wasn't necessary.

Elsa looked behind them and yelped. Hans tugged on Sitron's reins to turn him around, and in the darkness he saw that the wolves were bolting towards them across the bridge. In an instant, Elsa, who was not in a position to aim, threw herself stomach first off the stationary horse and blasted the bridge with the biggest block of ice she could concoct. The bridge shattered sending all but one wolf sailing to the ground. The remaining one was almost on her when Hans, who had already dismounted the horse, seized it by the head and pulled it away. He tried pinning it to the ground as he pulled out his sword, but it was too strong. The wolf pushed him off and the sword flew across the snow. He reached for it while helplessly attempting to prevent the wolf's teeth from ripping his face off, when the wolf was suddenly hit in the head by a wave of ice. It flew back about five feet before laying motionless in the snow.

Panting heavily, Hans swung around to see a frightened Elsa, arms still outstretched towards the wolf, as if waiting for it to come back to life. Still in shock, she stared at the animal for a moment and then at Hans who was just a silhouette now. He stared back at her a few seconds before breaking the silence.

"Thank you," he breathed meekly, looking at the ground. He groaned as he reached for his fallen sword and went to his feet.

He was about to place the sword back in its sheath when he heard Elsa growl exasperatedly, "Where is Anna?"

He paused. "I don't know where Anna is," he replied flatly, and he continued to secure the sword. He turned to walk towards Sitron and was interrupted again.

"TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!" Elsa screamed. She was on her feet now, and she rushed towards him, hands outstretched ready to wring his throat. She wasn't going to blast him with ice. And she wasn't going to give the wolf the pleasure of destroying him. She wanted to kill him herself, slowly, with her bare hands. He dodged to the left, thinking she was going to freeze him solid. She turned and immobilized his legs almost instantaneously and then proceeded towards his throat. He grabbed both her wrists and once again raised them towards the sky. But instead of looking afraid, he laughed. Laughed. Elsa stared at him dumbfounded. How was this funny? Frost crawled down both their arms and Hans shuddered slightly.

"I knew I would run into you eventually," he snickered. And then he spoke more seriously, "I didn't kidnap your sister."

"But then how do you…" she trailed off. She stared into his eyes for a moment, arms still in the air, and even in the darkness she perceived his sincerity. She didn't know how. Despite the horse's disappearance on the same night as her sister's, she _believed_ him. Her arms relaxed and the fractals of ice on their arms and around his ankles melted. He cautiously let her arms drop to her sides, and as he did, she felt her knees buckle slightly, and she realized just how exhausted she was. She hadn't slept properly in two days. He didn't notice, however, as he shook the remaining bits of ice from his coat sleeves and continued towards the horse.

He sifted through a bag attached to the saddle and muttered to himself, "I could have sworn I had another one in here," Then turning back to Elsa he inquired, "But why are you all alone? Isn't that unsafe?"

She was speechless. She had been surprisingly relieved when she first discovered that he was Hans. If she ran into him she would be close to running into Anna as well. And with a little bit of persuasion and a little bit of ice she would get her back. But now she had hit a brick wall.

"But...but...you're lying!" she said weakly, more to herself than to him, "I know you snuck into Arendelle's stables and stole that horse!"

"His name is Sitron," he corrected her, "And I didn't steal him. I retrieved him. He's mine." Of course Elsa already knew this, but she enjoyed accusing him of any crime she could. "It seems I accidentally forgot about him in my _anxiousness_ to return to the Southern Isles," he added sarcastically. He made it sound as if he had skipped joyfully onto the ship after he was banished from Arendelle. "But, considering the circumstances, I can't just waltz into the palace and say, 'Queen Elsa! I have come for my horse!'" and he bowed to her mockingly.

"But Anna...someone-"

"The fact that she was taken the same night has nothing to do with me," he interjected calmly, "Sorry."

"How...how did you-" she gaped, unable to form the words.

He slowly turned to her and answered her unspoken question, "I saw him. Or her. I don't know…"

" _What?_ " she cried, stumbling closer to him anxiously, "Who was it?! What did they look like?!" For a moment she forgot that he was the evil monster who tried to kill her. Right now he was her only hope.

"I don't know," he repeated, "That's what I'm trying to find out."

"Why...why would _you_ care to find out?" she breathed, "What's in it for _you?"_

"Well-" he started.

"Is it so you can use her to steal the throne again?"

"No, I-"

"Why don't you just use me instead? I'm right here!"

"If you would just-"

"Why her? Why prey on Anna?"

"Just _listen_ to me, Elsa!" he shouted, "Do you want to find her or not?!"

She stepped back in shock and her knees buckled again. The world also seemed to be spinning ever so slightly. But nevertheless, she started towards him again, pointing an icy finger at his face, "How...how _dare_ you address me so in…..informally, _Mr. Westergaard?_ I…..I am the _Queen_ of….of…." somehow she forgot the name of her own kingdom, "the queen…..of..." and suddenly everything went black.

* * *

As Kristoff made his way back to Arendelle, and the only thing on his mind was his sleigh. He had to find his sleigh so that he could go back to his ice business. Ice, ice ice. He had never been this adamant about his trade. Anna had stolen that blissful life from him and he could never have it back, unless he found his sleigh and drove himself and Sven far, far away. He didn't want to go see Grand Pabbie because he knew what he would say, "Your heart has grown cold. Pride and selfishness will be your undoing." Kristoff felt justified and he didn't want anyone telling him otherwise. He didn't want to live in fear that Anna's freak sister would freeze his future children to death like she almost did to Anna. He wasn't married to Anna yet, so he didn't have any kind of permanent commitment to her. He still had a choice.

"Go, Sven! Let's get a move on!" he shouted to the reindeer who was walking extremely hesitantly. Sven bellowed exhaustedly. "Don't give me that!" Kristoff boomed, "Don't you want to go back to the good old days?" Kristoff leaned forward and nodded encouragingly, but Sven shook his head rapidly. "Well fine, then! Once I get the rest of my things, you can stay there and I'll go by myself! Who needs you anyway?" Sven snorted, echoing his thoughts. There was no way he could go anywhere without Sven. Even if he didn't have an entire wagon or sleigh to drag around.

The sun hadn't risen yet as he entered the city. Everything was still and all the people were asleep. He realized that there was a chance he would see someone and they would ask, "Did you find Anna? Where is Queen Elsa?" So he had to quickly come up with a lie just in case he encountered an early riser. He was just starting to think of a response when he noticed something odd about the streets. It was hard to tell in the low light, but the cobblestones looked like they had turned from gray to yellow. As Sven pulled the wagon through there was a persistent _crunch crunch crunch_. Kristoff looked down and saw that it was paper. A lot of paper. And something was written on them, each one identical. Sven stopped and wailed.

"What are they, Sven?"

Kristoff jumped out of the wagon and picked one up. In large letters was printed, "Monster Impostor" and below it was a venue, a date, and a time listed for some sort of event. A protest. The main portion of the flyer was occupied by a crude portrait of a woman with a large crown, an evil grin, and a very pointy nose. She was wearing Elsa's ice dress and was crushing a mass of frozen bodies under her foot.

Sven whimpered and Kristoff looked at him inquisitively. "Impostor..." He mused, "What the..." He stopped to notice that a few villagers had already been slowly trickling out of their homes. They were all looking confusedly at the flyers and murmuring to each other.

"What is this?"

"Impostor?!"

"I always knew she was dangerous."

"Dangerous, maybe, but an impostor?"

"That's a funny picture, mama!"

"Sir! Sir!"

Kristoff was watching the villagers and he didn't recognize the voice approaching him. He suddenly turned, and it was Olliver. "Mr. Bjorgman! Did you find-" his face went pale. "Mr. Bjorgman, are you alright?"

Kristoff shook his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that...you look very ill."

Was that supposed to be some kind of back-handed insult? "I'm fine!" He snapped, offended, "What is all this?"

"I'm not sure, but...where is the queen? Did you find Princess Anna?"

Kristoff suddenly remembered that Elsa was out there in the forest all alone. She could have been eaten by wolves. But for some reason it didn't bother him that much. "I-I lost her," he lied, "We were separated and...I thought maybe she would come back here." It was half-true, after all. He had lost her. And maybe she would have come back. Somehow. "She isn't here?"

"No! Oh dear…" Olliver cried, pacing around helplessly, "Kjekk returned late last night, but she wasn't with him. Our most beloved queen…" Tears were forming in his eyes and Kristoff couldn't take it, so he changed the subject slightly.

"What is all of this?" He repeated.

"I don't know…Someone..." Olliver trailed off, unable to put his thoughts into words. At this point, guards were marching through the streets collecting all the flyers that were still littering the ground. But it was too late. Word was already out and the people were intrigued. Olliver, who was holding one of them, ripped it up, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. Kristoff, however, folded his and slowly stuffed it into his back pocket. He could search for his sleigh later.

* * *

The last thing Elsa remembered as she started to awake were green eyes. For a few moments she didn't know who they belonged to. It must have been some kind of strange dream, she thought. When she opened her eyes she looked around and noticed she wasn't in her room in the palace. And then it hit her. Anna. Anna was gone. Anna was kidnapped. And it hadn't been a dream.

"No. No, no, no, no.," she mumbled, "Anna!" She sat up quickly, looking around her in panic. It was late afternoon. She was in some sort of cabin. She saw a stone fireplace and some modest, traditional wooden furniture.

"Oh my!" a woman's voice cried, "The poor thing is finally awake!" Suddenly, a plump, stout woman with a round, friendly face appeared before her. "Be calm, my dear. Everything is going to be all right. Here, I made you some lunch in case you'd finally decide to return to the land of the living. Do you know that you've been asleep for almost two days?" The woman walked to a blue table with designs of flowers and birds painted on it. She brought a tray of open ham and cheese sandwiches and a cup of coffee. The woman wore a simple brown dress and a white apron. Her dark curly hair was held in a tight braided bun behind her head. She had a cheerful glow in her cheeks and was a little tan from being in the sun. Elsa took the tray politely, but just stared at it. Then she looked up again around the room.

"Wh-Where am I?" She muttered.

"Oh yes, you must be a little confused right now, my dear." Elsa didn't like this woman woman calling her "my dear". She didn't know this woman. And no one ever called her that. Not even Gerda. The woman continued, "My name is Lynn, and you're in Kubbergrove."

"Kubbergrove? What is Kubber…" Elsa yawned.

Lynn laughed. "Ah yes, you're not from around here. Kubbergrove is close to Arendelle's copper mines."

"Oh…" Maybe she needed to get out more and get to know her kingdom a little better.

"Lars said that you fainted up in the mountains, so he brought you here to rest. Oh, and what's your name, child? Lars didn't tell us."

"I'm sorry," Elsa apologized, "but who is Lars?"

Lynn straightened up and looked at her, confused. "Why, your good friend Lars Odegard. You don't remember him?"

"No, I don't know anyone named Lars."

Lynn leaned back slightly and, putting a hand to her chin, she muttered to herself, "Oh dear, the poor girl has lost her memory." Then turning to face Elsa again she said gently, "What is the last thing you remember, dear?"

"Um…" Elsa put a hand to her forehead as she thought for a second. Had she really lost her memory? Then she straightened up. Prince Hans. Prince Hans...and the wolves...and the ice bridge...and Anna. Prince Hans saw who took Anna. She had to find him. Immediately.

"Did you remember something?" Lynn inquired anxiously.

"I-I'm thankful for your hospitality, but I have to go." She threw off the quilt that had been covering her and jumped out of the bed. "I need to find someone. He-you see my sister-" Suddenly she was stopped by a knock at the door.

"Wait!" Lynn cried, then turning to Elsa she grabbed the quilt on the bed and wrapped it around her. Apparently Elsa's ice dress was gone and had been replaced by a flowery flannel nightgown. "Here. Now you're decent. I can't tell you what a hard time I had getting that cold wet dress off of you! It seemed to be stuck to you!" she chuckled. "How did you not die of hypothermia up- Come in!"

The door opened ever so slowly and red hair poked through the crack. Hans. Elsa tensed.

"Lars!" Lynn shouted, "Come in! Don't worry, she's covered."

 _Lars?_

"I heard talking, so I assumed that maybe Elsa was awake," he said nervously. Elsa just gawked at him, her mouth hanging open slightly in disbelief. Now that it wasn't pitch black she had the chance to look at him properly. He was just barely recognizable from the charming prince she met back in Arendelle. He had a modest beard, and he wore a long black jacket that looked like it had been worn way too many times. Underneath he had a white shirt, brown waistcoat (a slight color variation), black breeches, and black boots. Certainly not as stylish as she remembered.

"Elsa? Is that your name? Just like the queen! What a beautiful name. You must be so proud to share such a beautiful name with such a great queen."

"Actually-" Hans started.

"Yes, of course," Elsa interjected, glaring at Hans, "Very proud. What a great queen she is. Yes, indeed." Hans stared back at her, hearing a plotting tone in her voice. He silently begged her not to do anything stupid. "And how awful it was," she added with a sly grin, peering back at Lynn, "when that horrible scoundrel tried to kill her and her innocent sister." She turned to glare at Hans again and his face turned white.

"So terrible!" Lynn cried, "How could anyone-? Goodness, if that monster Prince Hans was standing in front of me right now, I'd have a thing or two...and Lars here would give him a few good sockings in the face until he was black and blue! Lars is always telling me how much he reveres the Queen of Arendelle. Isn't that right, Lars?"

Hans face went from white to red and he fixed his gaze at the ground. "Y-yes. That's true." Elsa glowered at him, dumbfounded. Revere her? For what? For almost destroying Arendelle?

Lynn, who didn't seem to notice any peculiarities about their attitudes, added gleefully, "But not to worry! He's locked up good and tight down there in...where was he from again?"

"The Southern Isles," Hans muttered quickly.

"That's right. Well, Elsa dear, now that you see our handsome Lars, do you remember him?"

"Yes. I most certainly do." She pulled the blanket more firmly around herself.

Hans, seeing Lynn beaming at him, threw on a smile and said, taking a step forward, "Forget me? How could Elsa ever forget about me?" He winked at her. Elsa groaned.

"Excuse me, m'am..." Elsa coughed.

"Please! Just call me Lynn."

"Yes, of course, Lynn. Um...could I have a few moments to speak with _my good friend Lars_ here alone?"

"No," Lynn stated flatly.

"Whuh-?"

"I'm not going to leave a woman alone with a man in only her nightgown! You need to get dressed first. And then you two can catch up all you want."

"But-" Elsa started.

"Out, Lars! Out!"

"Woah!" Hans laughed as Lynn started pushing him out the door. Amused by the comic scene, Elsa let out a single giggle and then immediately stopped herself. "Goodbye!" He exclaimed. He was already on the other side of the doorway when he stuck his head back in and added with a smirk, " _Good friend Elsa."_

"Shoo!" Lynn cried, slamming the door shut. "Now," she sighed, turning to face Elsa, "I brought this for you from the village." She walked to a wardrobe that matched the table and pulled out a traditional white blouse, green lace-up bodice, a shin-length black skirt and black boots. "The Pedersens have a daughter who looks to be about the same size as you. Not as pretty as you though. The nightgown fit, so I expect these will too."

She was right, it was a good fit. Not especially her style, but it was pretty. It looked like something Anna would wear. Anna…

"Thank you," Elsa smiled, "It's lovely."

"Oh, well don't thank me! Thank the Pedersens. Now, child, what were you doing up in the mountains all alone?" Suddenly she was behind her with a brush, combing out her hair.

Elsa was a bit taken aback, but she allowed her to continue. She had known this question would come, but she hadn't yet prepared an answer.

"Well...um-"

"Why didn't you bring someone with you to look for your sister?"

Ugh. If Hans wasn't her key to finding her sister she would have frozen him solid. "Did Ha-" she almost slipped."Haaaa…..Ha-ha-how did you know?" she recovered, "Did _Lars_ tell you?"

"Yes, he did," Lynn sighed. Then putting one hand on her shoulder and holding a braid with the other, she said gently, "It's so terrible. I don't know the details, but I know that she was...well... _taken_ ," Elsa's eyes started watering as Lynn pinned a crown of braids all around her head. Elsa tried to swallow the tears back down. "But I think you will find her. I'm good at predicting the future." She turned her around and saw her expression. "Oh, my dear…" and she pulled her into a warm hug. Elsa couldn't hold it back anymore. She succumbed and burst into sobs. "There there," Lynn assured her, "Everything is going to be all right." Elsa wanted to pour out her soul to this complete stranger, but she resisted. If she did, it might cause a whiteout. She just stood there and tried to suppress her tears while Lynn held her.

"I'm sorry," Elsa sniffed, pulling away.

"Don't be!" Lynn responded, wiping a tear away, "Don't ever be sorry for something like this."

"Thank you for everything, but I should probably be on my way."

"No, it's too late, my dear," Lynn soothed, "By the time we get a wagon prepared for you it will be dark. Rest here for just one more night. In the morning we can have a wagon packed up for you and Lars, and then you can head out. And besides, there's a festival tonight and you wouldn't want to miss that."

Yes, she probably would. "Me and Lars?" She wasn't planning on taking Hans with her. She was going to simply ask him where to go and then leave right away. But then again, she didn't have a horse...

"Well yes, of course!" Lynn cried, "You're not going out there by yourself, silly thing! He's already agreed, so you don't need to ask him."

"Right…" She paused for a moment, deciding what to do. She didn't want to offend this woman who had been so kind to her for the past two days. But she _had_ to find Anna as soon as she possibly could. But Lynn was right. What was the use of searching at night? "But...I don't have anything to wear to a festival," Elsa said finally. She imagined all the poofy ballgowns she saw at her coronation and how ridiculous she would look in one.

"Don't worry, you'll fit right in with what you're wearing now."

"And I don't know how to dance."

"Well, thankfully," she winked, "Lars is very good at leading."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading everyone! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I've been doing a lot of research about Norway and other things in order to write this, and it's really fascinating. Kubbergrove is my own derivation for the Norwegian word for "copper mine," which is "kobbergruve."**

 **I want to give credit to** galaxygolfergirl **on Tumblr. My version of Hans is loosely based on her concept of him in Frozen 2. And unfortunately I'm just realizing that I'm having major issues putting in the hyperlink. But if you look her up in Tumblr and scroll down, you can't miss it.** **I saw it and I was like YASS! That is exactly what I picture in my head! And then more images started coming into my head resulting in this story that you lovelies are reading right now.**

 **I also want to give a shout out to my mom Lynn who will never ever read this. You can probably guess who is based on her.**

 **And don't worry all y'all. There's a good reason why Kristoff is being a jerk.**

Everything belongs to Disney. Not for personal profit. All original characters and places (Lynn, Olliver, Kubbergrove) are mine. No stealing.


	6. Chapter 6: Not Afraid

**Chapter 6: Not Afraid**

Elsa finally had the chance to step outside and search for Hans. As she did she could see exactly what this Kubbergrove place was. The house that Lynn and her husband lived in was one of many small little houses scattered around the edge of a small lake and surrounded by large snow-capped mountains. It was similar to Arendelle, only a little more quaint with less hustle and bustle. There were farms, pigs, goats, and chickens, and off in the distance she saw grazing fields for sheep and cattle. Children were running around chasing each other with wooden swords. As the sun was starting to set, it cast a golden glow on the lake, and men with pickaxes were trudging home from the mines smiling, laughing, and covered in sweat and soot. It seemed to be a rather isolated town, because everyone knew each other, but no one seemed to recognize her.

Elsa didn't have time to think about that, however. She had to find Hans as soon as possible. But she was distracted when she heard her name.

"...Queen Elsa!" A girl cried out. Elsa swung around in panic, searching for the source.

"No _I_ get to be Queen Elsa!" a smaller voice cried, "You always get to be Queen Elsa!" Elsa looked down the road and saw two girls in braids wearing miniature princess dresses, pushing each other back and forth.

"Well that's because I'm the oldest. And Queen Elsa is the oldest. So you have to be Princess Anna."

Elsa giggled as she remembered her and her sister playing similar games when they were small. She walked over to them, bent over to face them, and suggested, "Why don't you both be Queen Elsa?"

The youngest girl, who looked to be about five, hid behind the other who must have been eight or so, and the eldest whispered, "But...but then who will be Princess Anna?"

"Hmmmm…." Elsa mused, "I can!"

The youngest clapped her hands together. "I'm Queen Elsa! I'm Queen Elsa!" She cried, jumping up and down.

"I'm Queen Elsa _too!_ " Shouted the other. She didn't seem as pleased with this idea as her sister was.

"Elsa!" Elsa exclaimed, trying to stop them from fighting, "Elsa, save me!" She started running around like she was being dragged by someone, "I've been kidnapped by the evil Prince Hans!"

"Oh no! I'll save you Anna!"

"No _I'll_ save you, Anna!" They started chasing after her but she suddenly bumped into someone.

"Lars!" The youngest cried. Elsa glanced up and before her was the evil Prince Hans himself. He stared at her for a moment, noticing the change in her appearance, and then turned to the girls.

"Abbie!" Hans laughed. The girl ran to his arms. "Are you playing Anna and Elsa again?"

"Yes!" Abbie exclaimed, "But I get to be Elsa this time!"

"We're _both_ Elsa!" her sister countered. Elsa examined the scene astoundedly. "Lars," the eldest sister continued, "Lars, you have to be the evil Prince Hans."

"Oh," he laughed, "Is that so, Hilde? And what do I have to do?"

"That lady is Princess Anna and you have to kidnap her. And then we come and rescue her."

"Ah, I see. Okay then." Then standing up and smirking at Elsa he growled, "I am the evil Prince Hans and I have come to take you away!" He started chasing after Elsa and she ran as fast as she could, trying to resist icing him. But he caught her by the waist and started carrying her away rather ungracefully.

"No!" Elsa shouted, unamused.

"I'll save you, Anna!"

"No _I'll_ save you!"

"Queen Elsa!" Hans yelled to the girls, "You are no match for the evil Prince Hans! Ha ha ha."

"Let Anna go or I will freeze you!" Hilde exclaimed.

"Freeze me? Noooo!"

"Pssssssshhhhhh!"

He gently placed Elsa back on her feet and pretended to go immobile. "No, don't freeze me! Argh! What a world! What a world!"

As Hilde held out her hands and continued her sound effects, Abbie ran up to him with a stick and started beating his leg with it. He held his arms in the air and made an ugly face. Elsa couldn't help but laugh. She wanted to interrupt them so she could finally talk to Hans in private, but she couldn't bring herself to break the three of them apart. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Lynn talking to a balding man in mining clothes who must have been her husband. He had a certain regal air about him despite his attire and his disheveled dark gray hair.

"You need to hurry and wash up before the festival starts." She insisted.

"But, my love, it's not for another two hours!"

"Exactly," she replied. Then seeing Elsa she shouted, "Elsa! Here, meet my husband, Kari."

"Elsa?!" Hilde gasped, forgetting about her wrestle with Hans, " _Queen Elsa?!"_ Hans looked up too and, upon seeing Kari, grew slightly nervous.

"No, my dear," Lynn answered, "Just regular Elsa." Elsa breathed in a sigh of relief.

"You should be Queen Elsa next time," Hilde continued, eyeing her, "And then you can rescue us from Lars."

Elsa just smiled and turned back to Lynn.

"Not-queen-Elsa," Lynn announced cheerfully, "this is my husband, Kari. Also the mayor of Kubbergrove."

"Nice to meet you," Elsa curtsied. Kari didn't respond. His expression made her feel uneasy. He seemed to be examining her very closely and appeared part angry and part enthralled. Elsa paused, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, she continued, "Y-you're both a mayor and a miner, sir?"

"Yes," he said loftily, "We need to use all the hands we have. And I don't want to _abandon my people."_

Elsa tensed at the last words. _Does he know?_ She thought. _Am I that recognizable?_ She pretended not to notice, and instead coughed and responded nervously, "Oh, I see," Then turning back to Lynn, who hadn't seemed to perceive anything unusual, she asked, "Lynn, are Abbie and Hilde your children?"

"Our children?" she responded, "Goodness no! We only have two boys and they've already moved out into the world."

"Ah, I see," she responded distractedly. She glanced anxiously at Hans who was standing upright, watching them anxiously while Abbie was hanging on his hand, trying to get him to twirl her.

"If you'll excuse me," she concluded, "I need to speak with Mr. Odin…Oda..." she forgot what his fake last name was, "with Lars...for a moment."

"Of course, my dear," Lynn said slyly. As Elsa walked away Lynn turned to Kari and whispered, "They've been trying to find a moment alone together ever since she woke up this afternoon, if you know what I mean." She winked at her husband, but he didn't respond, just surveyed the scene in front of him interestedly.

"I'm sorry, girls!" Elsa exclaimed, interrupting their festivities, "But I need to borrow the evil Prince Hans for a bit."

"Can't you borrow him later?" Hilde whined.

"No, I'm afraid I can't. It's very pressing business."

"Ok," Hilde sighed. Elsa grabbed Hans' sleeve and dragged him away.

"Whoa, hey-" he started. Elsa just kept pulling as she searched for a place where they could talk in private. She settled for a nearby horse stable that seemed to be occupied only by horses. Sitron huffed in greeting.

"Hey there, boy!" Hans exclaimed, reaching over to pet his muzzle.

"Now tell me," Elsa pleaded, facing him, "Where is Anna?"

He sighed. "I don't know for sure. But I have a guess."

"Anything is better than nothing. Please," she begged, "what do you know?"

"It may be just speculation," he answered, leaning on the stall, "but when I was younger, my brother Lars-"

" _Your brother Lars?!"_

"Yes. My brother Lars had-"

"You stole your brother's name?!"

"Yes. He had a lot of books on politics and geography and I would study them in my free time…"

Elsa was starting to get frustrated. What did this have to do with Anna?

"...and I was especially interested in the Northwestern Isle, because it's so isolated, and their culture and language are so untainted. And they have these amazing volcanoes-"

"Get to the point!" Elsa shouted.

"-and the sand on the beaches is made completely of black volcanic rock. It's incredible. But anyway, the person that took your sister looked like they were wearing their military uniform."

Elsa gaped at him, and then cried, "Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?!"

"Calm down. Your hands are starting to ice. Someone will notice." He peered around behind him.

But she didn't care, "What does their uniform look like?!" She pleaded.

"Well," he mused, turning towards her again, "it's blue and it has a high red collar. The coats are shorter, not like in Arendelle or Weasel-town or The Southern Isles. And the insignia on the horse's reins was shaped somewhat like the Northwestern Isle coat of arms. But-"

"I have to go there. Now." Elsa insisted. She started marching out the door, but Hans grabbed her arm.

"Wait," He said, "I told you that I'm not one hundred percent sure. It was really dark and-"

"Yes, but it's definitely worth a shot!"

"Right, but we can't go now."

"We?"

"It's too late. We can go in the morning."

She paused for a moment, noticing his hand which was still holding onto her elbow. She glared at him and whispered suspiciously, " _Why are you helping me?"_

"Because I want to," he replied flatly, as if this answer was sufficient.

"But _why_ do you want to?"

"Because, well…" he let go of her arm and scratched his head, "because I want another chance to be a hero."

She stared at him with one eyebrow raised. "You want to be a hero…"

"Yes, I want to be a hero. I thought before that I was going to be the hero who saved Arendelle from destruction, but I didn't even know what a hero was. Not until I saw what you and Anna did..."

Elsa didn't know what to say. Despite his words, his tone didn't necessarily express humility or reverence. Nor did it intend to. Only matter-of-factness. She had to think for a moment before speaking. "First of all," she began, "Anna is the hero, not me."

He smirked, "But then what would you call what it is you're doing right now?"

She smiled at him, a little bit against her will. Then she asked, "Is that why you came back to Arendelle? So you can be a hero?"

"No," he responded, "I came back to Arendelle because I ran away from home and Arendelle just happened to be where the ship was headed. And when I found out you had my horse and I came to steal him from you, I was lucky enough to find a golden opportunity to save the day. It was heaven sent." He sighed haughtily.

Elsa was somewhat disgusted. He didn't want to save Anna because he cared about her. He wanted to save Anna because he cared about himself.

"If that's the only reason," she growled, "then I don't want your help." She pivoted around to leave.

"What do you mean?"

She spun back around, "What do you mean, 'what do I mean'? If you're only helping me because you want to feed your ego, then I'm going by myself." She turned around and started walking away again.

"But you don't have a horse."

"I can get one from Lynn and Kari."

"And you don't know your way around."

She stopped and then turned to eye him again. "I'M THE QUEEN-"

"Sshhh!"

She clapped a hand to her mouth, peeked around to see if the coast was clear, then whispered, " _I'm the Queen of Arendelle._ Of course I know my way around."

"How far have you gone?" he smirked.

"To...to the North Mountain...and to the rock trolls. And to Kubbergrove…"

"That's it?"

"Well who are you to talk? You're not even from here."

"True, but I was roaming around Arendelle for a month looking for a job while you were hiding in your castle." Elsa fumed and he continued, "Also, do you know anything about the Northwestern Isle?"

"Do you?"

He sighed and then said calmly, "Listen. I know you don't trust me, but you're going to have to anyway." He paused and then added sincerely, "There's no way you're going out there by yourself. I know you're strong and independent and can blast things with ice, but still. It's not safe."

It almost sounded like he was actually concerned about her welfare. But he was right, and she had already known it ever since Lynn had talked about him going with her.

"Alright. Fine. But I still don't trust you."

"That's fine."

"You almost killed me, you know."

"But I didn't."

She paused, slightly disgusted. "If you try it again-"

"Why would I want to kill you again? You're not destroying Arendelle anymore."

"I didn't destroy Arendelle." she snapped.

"You almost did."

"But I didn't," she smirked. He paused and then fixed his gaze at the ground, laughing.

"Well then I guess we have something in common," he suggested.

"And what's that?" Elsa asked.

"Almost destroying things."

She suppressed a smile and said seriously, "Meet me at Lynn's at 6:00 tomorrow morning," and she turned to walk away. As Hans watched her go, Sitron nudged him with his nose and whinnied snarkily.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, my lady!" the servant cried, "But she saw me and I didn't know what else to do, so I brought her here. I should have just left her, but I wasn't thinking."

"That's all right, Sigurður," his mistress soothed, "I understand. Besides, the other half of our plan is still in motion, so we just have to get a little bit creative." She paused, thinking carefully. "Actually, I think I like this idea a lot better. You're a genius, Sigurður!"

"Thank you, my lady, but what do you mean?"

She turned to the frightened young girl beside her that was still dressed in her nightgown. "You poor thing, you must be frozen! Sigurður, fetch me one of my dresses."

"Yes, my lady," Sigurður bowed, hurrying away.

"Now, tell me, Princess," she inquired, turning to the girl and reaching for her hand. She examined a large cut on her arm. "Tell me about your sister, Elsa. What do you think of her?"

Upon hearing her name, Anna winced and shook her head slowly. Gazing into the woman's eyes she sneered, "Oh dear. Where should I begin?"

* * *

There were no poofy dresses, thank goodness. The women were all dressed about the same as her. The men had changed out of their dirty mining clothes and were donning clean button up jackets and waistcoats. The dance festival was held in a large empty barn, and the performers consisted of a fiddler, accordion player, guitarist, and flautist. It was incredible how so few instruments could fill such a large space. With all the clapping, stomping, hooting and hollering it was even livelier. There was little elegance to the dancing, but it was nonetheless beautiful in its own way. Sometimes they would dance in groups and sometimes they would pair off on their own, depending on the familiarity of the tune. But whatever the song or whatever the dance, everyone seemed to be having a good time, even those who weren't dancing. Even Elsa. She clapped along to the beat and enjoyed watching from the sidelines, admiring how easy it seemed. She had never seen anything like this in the palace.

She made brief eye contact with Hans, who was a little more dressed up than earlier that day in a white shirt and blue cravat and waistcoat. He was dancing with a rather uncoordinated, plain young woman who may or may not have been Miss Pedersen. Hans appeared rather awkward trying to get her to follow the steps while she looked utterly smitten and unable steal her eyes away from his face. She then spotted Lynn, who was spinning and prancing enthusiastically with Kari. Lynn glanced at her and waved cheerfully, motioning for her to join in. Elsa laughed and shook her head. A lot of people kept peering over at her, noticing the new face. Apparently when a stranger arrived it was a fascinating thing. She just gazed at the ground during all these moments, afraid that someone here would know exactly what the Queen of Arendelle looked like. But it appeared that no one did. Perhaps they imagined her to be a fierce, mad woman like she had been painted to be before.

At one point she was tapped on the shoulder and glanced up to see Kari standing before her. "Good evening," he said flatly. He seemed to be suppressing a smirk.

"Oh," Elsa replied, taken a bit by surprise, "Good evening, sir."

"I was wondering if I might have the pleasure of dancing with you."

"Uh...of course," she answered automatically. Normally she would have said no, but his insistent tone wouldn't allow her to refuse.

The song was a slow fiddle and accordion waltz and she was surprisingly able to follow quite easily. But Kari's uncomfortable gaze and the memory of what he had said to her earlier that day made Elsa feel slightly uneasy. She glanced over at Lynn somewhere on the sidelines, and she just grinned widely and waved at her.

"So...Elsa, is it?" Kari asked.

"Yes, that's right."

"Elsa, where are you from?"

"Oh, ehm, I'm from... far away."

"Really? How far away?"

She said the first place that came into her head, "The Southern Isles." That was dumb, she thought.

"Is that so? Well then..." He was silent for a few passes and then he continued, "What do you think of Arendelle?"

"It's very nice," she responded enthusiastically, "Very beautiful, and the people here are so kind."

"Yes, indeed." He paused again, examining her, and then continued, "Indeed. I would say that Kubbergrove is the most magnificent place in all of Arendelle. I have been the mayor here for over ten years and have grown to love the place more than any other."

"You're not originally from Kubbergrove?"

"No, I used to live in the city. I worked in the palace."

"Oh!" Elsa exclaimed, a little too loudly, "Ho-how long ago?" Had he seen her? Why didn't she recognize him? Where in the palace did he work?

"Oh, it's been about thirty years since I moved to Kubbergrove and met Lynn."

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, so a long time ago?"

"Yes," he replied, "But I still keep like to keep myself updated on things down there."

Elsa's eyes went wide and she looked away. She slightly lifted the hand that was on his shoulder and clenched it tight to keep it from icing up. But it did anyways. She nervously pretended to scratch the back of her head to hide it.

The song was on its final chorus when Kari whispered in her ear, "So tell me, your majesty. _What is the Queen of Arendelle doing here with Prince Hans of the Southern Isles?"_

The ice went all the way up her arm as she pulled away and stared into his eyes, petrified. Her thoughts were drowned out by applause from the crowd, so she was rescued from the need to respond. Kari just smirked at her and walked away. Elsa watched him return to Lynn's side, afraid that he might tell her. But he didn't seem to, because whatever he did say to her made her giggle.

Suddenly Lynn was bouncing over to her. "My dear! My dear! Why hasn't Lars asked you to dance yet?" Lynn inquired. But Elsa wasn't paying attention. How long had he known that it was Hans? What was he going to do? Was he going to lock him up and send him back to The Southern Isles? He couldn't. Hans had to help her get to Anna.

"Elsa, dear? Are you alright?" Lynn interrupted her thoughts.

"Uh…Oh, yes," Elsa said, snapping back to reality, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Lars..." She repeated, "Why haven't you danced with him yet?"

"Oh, um…" She imagined that it was probably because they weren't the best of friends. But she, of course, did not tell Lynn this. "I don't know," was all she said, "but it's fine. He seems to be enjoying-"

"Lars!" Lynn shouted, turning to the crowd, "Ask this lovely girl to dance! Where are your manners? She's been waiting anxiously all night!"

Elsa's face went red and she shook her head rapidly. She had actually been trying to _avoid_ this all night. Hans stopped dancing for a moment to glance at Lynn and Elsa. He smiled nervously, and then turning to Miss Pedersen, bowed and excused himself. She curtsied coyly, but then turned to glare enviously at Elsa.

"That's a good man," Lynn exclaimed. Hans, without saying a word, glanced from Lynn to Elsa and then held out his hand meekly to her. Elsa hesitated, but then noticing Lynn's enthusiasm, she took it.

He brought her out to the middle of the dance floor, and in order to break the awkward silence she stated, "I should tell you...that I have no idea what I'm doing, so prepare for something awful."

"That's fine," he responded calmly, "Just follow my lead." He placed her right hand in his left and pulled her close to him by the waist. She tensed and he whispered, as if reading her mind, "It's easier for you to follow this way." She didn't say anything, just nodded nervously. She wanted to tell him about Kari, but she couldn't speak. It didn't help that this song was particularly fast.

"Ready?" He counted off, "One, two, one, two..." and away they went. Elsa lost her footing several times. But then they would pause and he would count off again, "One, two, ready go…" Once she was able to get a handle on the steps, she felt more relaxed. The onlookers were clapping to the rhythm, making it easier for her to follow and Hans was able to spin her around the dance floor a little faster.

"They don't dance like this where I'm from!" Hans exclaimed cheerfully.

"Me neither!" Elsa panted. The faster they spun the closer he pulled her to him so that she wouldn't fly away. Once she got that part down down he added a few overhead turns and then some promenades, until they were practically racing with the other pairs around the room. It started to become, well fun. Very fun, actually. She was surprisingly better than she thought she was. Why hadn't she done this before? She didn't know what she was missing. Before she knew it they had already danced through three songs together. It was so exhilarating that she completely forgot about Kari, about Anna, and about the fact that the person she was dancing with tried to kill her almost two years ago…

Elsa dared to look up and examine the face of this man, and she was able to perceive why Anna fell so helplessly in love with him. Elsa had known him by what he did, but she never knew him for who he was. And, without consciously realizing it, she wanted to know. Not only was he handsome, but he seemed sincere. Sincere in the way he smiled, the way he danced, and the way he told her exactly what his intentions were. Was he that good at acting? He was lying about his identity, but then again, so was she. Afraid she was being sucked up into the same trap as Anna, she looked down at their feet. But she couldn't stop herself from turning her gaze up towards him again, and this time she caught him eyeing her curiously too before he quickly looked away.

Suddenly, without warning, the music slowly halted to a stop in the middle of the song. Elsa and Hans heard whispers and gasps all around them. She released one hand from his grasp and turned around to see that all eyes were on her.

"It's the Queen!" A man cried in awe, pointing at them.

"The Queen?" A few more people cried in unison, "Queen Elsa!" Elsa let go of Hans completely and turned to examine the crowd which was gazing fixedly at the ceiling. Elsa looked above her to find that there were snowflakes falling lightly over her and Hans' heads. Her cover was blown. The flurries started to slow down, and in it's place, her hands started to frost as her instincts prepared her for fight or flight. What would these people do? Would they apprehend her? Did they not like her?

She started to gradually move backwards in case she needed to run, but then Lynn started towards her and cried, almost in tears, "Queen Elsa! Your Majesty!" She curtsied the lowest curtsy Elsa had ever seen, and other people were making their way forward bowing and interrogating her.

"What brings you to Kubbergrove, your majesty?"

"How is Princess Anna, your majesty?"

"May I please dance with you, your majesty?"

Elsa just smiled graciously, pulling her frozen hands close to her chest, not knowing what to say.

"Your majesty, what an honor it is to have you here in our village!"

"Yes," Elsa replied meekly, "I...uh...am very pleased to-" she stopped when she glanced at Hans and noticed that he was staring in horror in the direction of the open barn door. She turned to examine what he was seeing, and there was a group of men wearing mustard yellow military uniforms scanning the room discreetly.

"Who is-?" Elsa started, but before she knew what was happening, she was being slowly dragged away in the opposite direction.

"Time to go, your majesty..." He exclaimed in a hushed tone, pulling her by the wrist. Several people had noticed the intruders as well, and they were muttering to each other to see if anyone had ever seen them before. In their curiosity they didn't spot Hans and Elsa tearing from the room.

"What's going on?" Elsa began.

"There he is!" One of the men shouted, "He has the Queen! SEIZE HIM!"

Cries erupted as the people parted to make way for the mysterious foreign soldiers. Hans urged Elsa to run faster.

"Prince Hans!" The same man yelled, "Stop in the name of the king!"

"I'm not a prince anymore!" He shouted back comically. Everyone gasped.

"Prince Hans?!"

"Where?!"

"Lars Odegard!"

"Lars?!"

"He's captured the queen!"

Suddenly they were all chasing after them in one mass, but Hans and Elsa had already been given a head start. The last thing Hans saw before he and Elsa disappeared from the room were the frightened faces of Abbie and Hilde gazing into his eyes in horror.

"Who is that?" Elsa inquired as they rushed past stacks of hay.

" _How did they know I was here?!"_ Hans muttered to himself.

" _Who is it?"_ Elsa repeated frantically.

"Kari…" he groaned.

"Kari?"

"Did he know this whole time?"

Hans pulled her behind a chicken coop and panted, "Listen, you have to tell them."

"Tell them what?" She whispered confusedly.

"You have to tell them that I'm on your side."

"But who is it?"

"My brother."

"Lars?"

"No, Caleb. King Caleb."

"He's _here?"_

"No, but he sent the guards. Somehow he found out I was in Arendelle..."

Elsa suddenly remembered the instructions she gave to Kai and Gerda right before she left to search for Anna: " _Write a letter to King Caleb III of the Southern Isles first thing in the morning. Inform him that his brother has captured the Princess of Arendelle, and that we request assistance..."_

"Actually…" Elsa whispered, guiltily, "I may have been the one who sent them."

"What?! How?"

"Ssshhhh!"

They heard footsteps and voices approaching.

"You two head towards the road and see if you spot them," a man said, "We'll keep searching in this area."

There was the sound of pounding feet headed in the other direction and finally it grew quiet. Elsa crouched there with Hans, clenching her fists to her chest to stop the ice, which was threatening to crawl out all around them. He took one of her hands in his and she relaxed. But then when he dared to shift his weight slightly, they heard a _crunch_ pierce the silence. He and Elsa both looked down and gooey yolk was oozing all over his shoe.

"Wait!" The same man said, "I heard something! And I don't think it was a chicken. Over here!"

The footsteps got closer and closer. "Go!" Hans muttered, "Do it now!"

Elsa jumped up and stood before the men. "Stop!" she shouted holding her hands out threateningly, "He's with me!"

But they didn't pay any attention. One of them pulled her away from Hans and the chief of the two seized him from behind, holding a knife to his throat. He winced. Elsa, out of instinct, struck the man in the back with ice, and he was thrown forward, letting Hans go.

"He's bewitched her!" The other guard exclaimed.

"Get both of them!" The head guard shouted angrily.

His companion apprehended Elsa, and she slammed her foot into the ground forming a sheet of ice underneath them. The guard slipped and fell to the ground, taking her with him. Hans, scrambling away from the wounded guard, lifted a bucket of chicken feed and whacked Elsa's captor in the head with it, rendering him unconscious.

Hans slid over to Elsa and pulled her up. Behind them they heard shouts. Elsa swung around and a mass of angry people were charging towards them.

"Go go go!" he cried, taking hold of her hand, and they bolted in the direction of the stables.

"Wait!" Elsa exclaimed, "Maybe I could talk to them! Try and explain the situation!"

"Do you think," he shouted back, "That a hundred or so angry people will all stop to listen!?"

He turned sharply to the right and then pulled her into a shed full of gardening tools.

"This way!" A gruff voice shouted. The light of torches and lanterns flew past them and after a few moments it was finally dark and silent. Without saying a word, Hans quietly led Elsa outside and they continued in the opposite direction of the mob.

They entered the same stables where they had talked earlier that day and Hans unlatched the gate where a rather sleepy Sitron was held. "Time to wake up, boy!" Hans whispered, patting the horse on the back. Elsa scanned around for any signs of the mob, but all she could hear was the whinnying of horses being stirred from their sleep.

"Let's go," Hans whispered, finding his saddle and reins and strapping them on the horse as quickly as he could, "It looks like we're going to have to do without a wagon." He hopped on Sitron's back and held his hand out to Elsa. "Do you trust me?" He asked comically.

"No," she stated flatly, taking his hand.

"Alright then," he said, and he hoisted her up behind him. Once she had a firm grip he shouted, "Go, Sitron!" And away they went.

As they approached the main road, the other two men appeared. They paused stupidly and then one of them shouted, pointing a crossbow at Hans, "Halt and step away from the horse!" Hans stopped.

"What are you doing?!" Elsa muttered.

"Alfred?!" Hans exclaimed, "Is that you?! Wow, I hardly recognized you! Did you lose weight?"

"Well, I…" Alfred answered bashfully, lowering the crossbow with one hand and rubbing his stomach with the other.

"Norfred!" Hans cried, turning to the other guard, "How have you been? How's the family?"

"Well, you know," Norfred responded, "We've been doing as well as we can. Things have been kind of hard lately."

The mob was starting to come into view in the distance. "That's a shame," Hans said. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but we'd better be on our way." He heeled Sitron gently in the sides and they bolted.

Realizing they were being tricked, Norfred shouted, "Wait! Stop!" Elsa felt an arrow fly past her ear and she ducked. The guards chased after them, but Sitron was too fast. Hans led them down a narrower, less traveled road through a small wood and down a hill.

"Where are we going?" Elsa inquired.

"To the mines."

"The mines? Why?"

"Supplies. I always leave some things down there."

It was a bit of a long way down until they approached a dark cave. Hans looked carefully around them before dismounting the horse and helping Elsa off.

"You work here?"

"Of course," he responded making his way in. He felt around on the ground for a lantern and a pack of matches and carefully lit it. Elsa followed. "Best job I ever had. Well, it's the only job I ever had. Being a prince back in my country wasn't much of a job. Especially…" he leaned his hand against the wall and looked slightly weak.

Elsa perceived his solemn expression, even in the darkness. "Especially...what?" she asked concernedly.

"Nothing." He responded flatly.

"No, tell me," she insisted.

She was the Queen after all, so he couldn't refuse. "Especially...the gruesome chores my father forced me to do for three years. Just so he'd let me come to your coronation."

She paused, thinking for a moment. Why would he need to spend three years convincing his father to let him come to a coronation? Then she asked comically, "Like what? Mopping the floors?"

"No," he answered seriously, "Well, sometimes, but I was referring to much worse things. Much much worse." He paused and then continued, staring off into the blackness in front of them, "I mean, I never managed to kill anyone but...well…" he continued walking forward, feeling for something and added, "Anyways, when I came back he tried to force me to continue, but I refused. And I paid dearly for it. When he died, Caleb was a little more merciful, but not too much so."

Elsa gazed at him in horror, imagining what kind of terrible things he might be talking about. All sorts of images started appearing in her head. What kind of torture had he gone through in his lifetime? What kind of family did he have? She decided it was better not to ask him. Yet.

Then turning to her and seeing her expression, he forced a smile and said, attempting to change the subject slightly, "Speaking of your coronation, did you know that I originally-" he paused again and said, "Never mind."

"You originally what?" Elsa inquired.

"No, it's nothing."

"Well now I'm curious," she said, stepping towards him.

"I originally...was going to wear a more dashing outfit, but I decided to tone it down a bit," he guffawed.

"Oh…" Elsa replied, surprisingly disappointed.

They came across a large, rusty vault. He entered a combination and it opened with an echoey click. Inside was a myriad of bags, pick axes, shovels, hammers, lanterns, food, coats, and other things. He grabbed a rather large pack labelled "Odegard" and stuffed it with some food wrapped in a cloth, matches, two canteens, an extra lantern, lamp oil, two blankets, and two coats. He tied it shut and lastly reached behind a shelf and pulled out his sword secure in its sheathe. He tied it to his belt and said, "I always keep an extra one down here, just in case."

Elsa merely nodded, staring at the sword and processing what he had said before. Was the coronation that important? Is that why he was so set on becoming king? Because if he didn't then all the horrible things his father forced him to do would be for nothing? Suddenly, before she knew what she was doing, she was walking slowly backwards out of the mine.

"Wait!" He called, "Put a coat on first." She just turned around, shook her head, and continued moving, "Oh, that's right," he laughed, "you probably won't need one." Then he noticed that she was walking faster and faster, and once she passed Sitron she was running. Away from him.

"Elsa...Elsa! Where are you going?!" He exclaimed, running after her.

She spun around and held out her hands threateningly, "Stop! Don't come any closer." He froze.

"Elsa…" he trailed off, realizing what this was about.

"I'm going to find Anna on my own," she insisted.

"Elsa please-"

" _Queen_ Elsa." She snapped.

"Queen Elsa...I know that-"

"Just for a coronation?! You would do all that for a coronation?! "

"I know, I know!" He cried, and there was silence before he continued, "I just wanted to go to your coronation, I just wanted to marry you-"

"Marry _me?"_

"-and I just wanted to be a king and please my father. It's exactly what it sounds like, and I don't have any good excuse for it. I don't expect you to forgive me, nor am I going to beg you to because I-" he suddenly couldn't form the words as he was trying to hold back tears. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to have this conversation for a while into their trip, but it was his own fault since he brought it up, "I will _never...ever...forgive_ _myself_. And if you don't believe anything else I say, believe that. And it's even more unbearable now, because I've just had _everything_ and _everyone_ I've ever loved or cared about stripped from me tonight. The only real family I've ever known is gone."

Elsa felt personally responsible. If Kai and Gerda hadn't written to King Caleb..."Hans...I'm-"

"Now, if you're afraid of me and you don't trust me, I understand. I'll go back and get someone else to take you to Anna. There's a road that goes straight to port and all of us miners know it well."

He turned to Sitron and Elsa was about to say, "Yes, maybe that would be best," but instead what came out of her mouth was, "But they'll take you back there..."

He turned to her, surprised, and then faced Sitron again. "Well yes, that's probably likely," he stated.

She processed what she had just said and realized that she didn't want anyone else's help. "What will they do to you?" She asked.

"Oh," he sniffed, "I imagine they'll probably do exactly what they did before."

"No…"

He gazed at her confusedly, "No...what?"

"No...I'm not afraid."

"You're not?" He inquired, taken aback.

"No, I'm not," she replied, almost as surprised as he was.

"Well then…" he paused, not knowing exactly what to say.

"We should go," she stated flatly, "We're wasting time, and they will find us here if we don't get moving."

* * *

 **Thanks for the reviews, guys! Keep 'em coming! I'd like to thank the one person from Iceland who has read this story. Takk fyrir, wherever you are! The Northwestern Isle is based off of Iceland, and it actually** ** _does_** **have black sand beaches. Google it.**

 **I have to say, that last scene took forever to get just right.**

 **Name pronunciation:**

 **Kari - Kah-ree**

 **Sigur** **ður - Sih-ger-ther (roughly)**


	7. Disclaimer

Sorry, this isn't a new chapter. I forgot to put a huge disclaimer and it's going to bug me if I wait until the next chapter to do it.

I wanted to mention that the end scene of Chapter 6 makes a huge allusion to A Frozen Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick, which is a novelization licensed by Disney, and therefore can be considered "canon." Or as canon as canon can be without actually being in the movie. If you haven't read it, you should. It gives a lot of background on Hans' life and his motivation for what he did. The following are things in that book that make their way into my story so far:

-Hans' brothers Caleb and Lars. Lars was the third oldest and was the only brother who was ever nice to him. He was also the one who inspired him with the idea of going to Arendelle for the coronation. Caleb is the oldest.

-Hans actually did spend three years doing horrible things for his father. As soon as he heard that Elsa and Anna's parents died, he wanted to convince his father that he was capable of representing the Southern Isles at Elsa's coronation, and he secretly wanted to woo and marry her. Whether or not he killed anyone, it doesn't say. We just know it was some pretty gruesome stuff in order to force people to pay taxes and the like. The part about his father trying to force him to continue after his return to the Southern Isles was made up by me, however.

-Hans' affinity for children. It makes mention that he spent a good portion of his life taking care of his nieces and nephews in the nursery.

-Kai and Gerda are in the story as well. You see them in the movie, but their names aren't mentioned, I don't think. Maybe they were in the credits, I don't know.

-If I think of anything else I will mention it when I post the next chapter.

Thanks for reading! Please continue to post reviews and maybe tell your friends! I really appreciate the feedback!

Sincerely,

LeChoc


	8. Chapter 7: Reunited

**Guess what guys?! I got laid off from one of my jobs! Which means get 20 extra hours a week to write! Here you go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Reunited**

 _To the Royal Queen Consort of the Northwestern Isle_

 _Your Highness,_

 _I am writing you as soon as possible to inform you that there may be a slight hinderance in our plan. I'm not sure if you are aware, but it seems that your incompetent servant, Sigurður, has not completed his task, as Queen Elsa appeared in Kubbergrove just two nights ago completely untouched and in her right mind. She is looking for Princess Anna, and I am wondering if her sister's disappearance may have something to do with Sigurður's mishap. I am hoping that you might be able to shed some light on the subject if, by chance, Sigurður has returned to Reykjaford._

 _I will still be going to the city to complete the task you gave me as best as I am able. It might be useful for me to add that Elsa arrived in Kubbergrove with Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, a known enemy of Arendelle. This information can certainly be used to our advantage. Unfortunately they have fled Kubbergrove and I don't know where they are headed._

 _Please respond as soon as possible with further instructions,_

 _I remain your humble servant,_

 _K-_

* * *

Elsa awoke early in the morning to find that she was laying on the ground under some trees, one blanket underneath her, and another over her. She sat up to spot a dying fire, a snoring Sitron, and a slumbering Hans covered with two coats. She couldn't remember getting off the horse or making a bed for herself. If she had, she wouldn't have chosen to wear a blanket. The cold never bothered her.

She watched Hans sleep and thought about what he had said to her the night before: " _The only real family I've ever known is gone."_ His only real family? Was his entire family in The Southern Isles just as bad as his father and brother? Anna mentioned he had ten older brothers. Or was it eleven? She couldn't remember. It was some ridiculous number. She noticed him shivering, so she stood, picked up the two blankets that had been around her, and gently placed them over him. The shivering stopped, and he relaxed. She examined him for a moment before she realized what she was doing and spun around to face the other direction.

They seemed to be far away from the mines. There was a stream nearby and the mountains looked less familiar. They must have been riding all night and she fell asleep at some point. She turned to admire the sunrise and off in the distance she could see her ice palace, a speck in comparison to all the mountains around it. It reflected the light of the sun making it appear to be a glittering diamond. She walked to where she could get a better view of it, when she heard a cheery voice exclaim, "Good mooorning!"

She spun around to see Olaf standing there with Eliana, both of them beaming from ear to ear. The magic flurries were falling down on them in unison making it look like they both shared one cloud. Olaf was holding out some small, crumbly sandwiches and Eliana presented her with apples.

"I'm not sure if this is really that appetizing. This guy's bag doesn't have a whole lot of options in it."

"Olaf!" Elsa cried running towards him and wrapping him in a big hug.

"I picked these apples myself," Eliana said cheerfully, looking especially pleased with herself.

"Eliana! It's good to see you too!" And Elsa gave her a hug as well. She accidentally dropped an apple but accepted the hug graciously.

"What the-" Hans yawned, sitting up. He turned to the noise and gasped, "WHAT THE-" Sitron awoke with a snort at the sound, and his eyes went wide when he beheld the scene before them.

""H-How did you find us?" Elsa cried, holding onto Eliana's wooden hand.

"Who's that guy, anyway?" Olaf inquired, pointing at a dumbfounded Hans.

"It talks!" Hans pointed.

"He talks!" Olaf mocked, pointing back at him.

"I'm so sorry!" Elsa exclaimed, "I'm so so sorry I left you behind! But Kjekk just ran and I couldn't stop him. And then he kicked me off...then Hans came...then I was in this place called Kubbergrove…"

"Hans? Is that his name?"

"But…" Hans gaped, "It's a _talking snowman!_ "

"I'm a _he!"_ Olaf snapped, "Anyways, it's all right. It gave me some time to go to the North Mountain and introduce this lovely lady here to Marshmallow and the little cuties," he said, placing a hand on Eliana's "shoulder" and gazing lovingly at her.

Elsa giggled, but then asked again, "How did you find us?"

"Well we just-" he stopped, a finger in the air. Then turning to Eliana he inquired, "Ah...How _did_ we find them, Eliana?"

Eliana just shrugged.

"Hmmm...Oh well. Where's Kristoff?" He continued, looking around. Sitron slowly approached and started poking Olaf hesitantly with his hoof, jaw hanging open. "Stop that!" Olaf shouted, stepping away, "that's not very good manners." Sitron sniffed his carrot nose and Olaf pulled it out, holding it away from him angrily as Hans took hold of the horse's reins to pull him back. However, Hans seemed as though he wanted to investigate this phenomenon just as much as Sitron did.

Elsa shook her head sadly in response to Olaf's question. "Kristoff is gone. He went home."

Olaf's gaped. "He left you? And Sven too?"

"Of course."

"But why?"

"I have no idea. If it weren't for Hans here, I'd be dead right now."

"Hans...that name sounds familiar…" Olaf squeaked a gasp, "No...certainly not... _that_ Hans." He laughed, "You had me going there for a second."

"Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles," she informed him.

"Actually, I'm not a prince anymore," Hans clarified, "Some people know me as Lars Odegard of Kubbergrove." He held out his hand to Olaf.

Olaf didn't take it, just gaped at him in horror. Eliana, however, accepted his gesture eagerly and said, "Pleased to meet you, Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles. I'm Eliana of the Royal Arendelle Greenhouse."

"You're _that_ Hans?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Hans responded.

"Elsa, are you _craaaazy?"_

"Olaf, he's helping me find Anna-"

"Isn't he the one that _kidnapped_ Anna?"

"No, I thought he did, but it was all just a misunderstanding."

Olaf paused. "Can I call you _Beast_ Hans then? If you're not _Prince_ Hans?" he questioned.

"If it makes you feel better."

"Or just Beast?"

Hans sighed, "Sure."

"Well then I suppose you can tag along," Olaf decided.

"I like him," Eliana interjected, "I think he's handsome."

Olaf glared at her. "Nooo…." he sneered, "I think that maybe I've changed my mind…"

"But you're more handsome," she added.

"That's better," Olaf sighed dreamily. Then turning back to Hans and Elsa he asked, "So if he didn't kidnap Anna, what exactly happened?" Elsa peered at Hans curiously, realizing that she didn't know the full story either.

"Well," he began, "When I returned to the Southern Isles, I assumed that Sitron here was somewhere on the ship with me and that we just were never able to be reunited. After a year of grueling punishment, I escaped on the first cargo ship that was leaving port. And it just happened to be headed for Arendelle. At first I was upset, but Arendelle had felt like home for the short time I was here, so I decided to stay and just keep as far away from the palace as I could. I stumbled upon Kubbergrove and the people took me in like a son and a brother, something I had never experienced before, so I decided to stay and work in the mines to earn a living.

"I don't see what this has to do with Anna," Olaf murmured.

"I'm getting there. So one day I came across a yearish-old gazette mentioning that the royal stables were looking for the owner of a horse. After reading the description, I knew that it was Sitron and that he had never made it back to The Southern Isles with me. I decided to sneak into the stables and retrieve him, so I told the other miners that I had to go visit a sick friend in another village. I went alone just in case I got caught."

Suddenly, Elsa remembered something. "You stopped by Oaken's Trading Post and Sauna, didn't you?"

"Actually, yes I did. How did you know? And there was a _sauna?_ "

"Kristoff and I stopped by there to see if he had seen you or Anna."

"And he knew it was me?"

"No, my description of you didn't match what he saw."

"Well then, I guess my clever disguise works," he concluded haughtily. Then he asked nervously, "Who is Kristoff, anyways?

"Anna's fiancé."

"Oh" he breathed a sigh of relief, "Why did he leave you?"

"He kind of…" she thought for a moment, "went crazy. He was suddenly angry at me for no reason and abandoned us when the wolves came."

Hans was going to say something in criticism of Kristoff, but he stopped when he considered that he had done the same thing to Anna. But it was okay, he thought, because now he was the hero of this story.

"Anyways," he continued, "it wasn't difficult getting past the Arendelle castle guards, because they were all sleeping. You should probably have someone train them a little better when you get back." Elsa fumed. He really had nothing to say about Kristoff's behavior? "The stable doors were locked, so I had to find a way to break in. I'm pretty good at picking locks so-"

"Skip to the part where Anna gets kidnapped," Elsa snapped.

"Right. Well, um, let's see...Once I got Sitron I was about to book it out of there when I heard a scream." Elsa shut her eyes in distress, remembering the unforgettable sound. "The screams continued and I recognized them as Anna's. But then they were muffled."

Elsa covered her ears and shook her head as if that would silence the sounds that were echoing inside her mind.

Hans noticed she was troubled and asked, "Should I stop?"

"No," she responded, "Continue."

"Alright. I led Sitron in the direction of the sound and saw a man in a navy blue button-up jacket on a black horse. And he had Anna, who seemed to be unconscious."

"No!" Elsa cried, imagining the worst, "No, no, no!" She stood up and started pacing. "No, I refuse to believe it! We have to leave now!"

Hans stood and paced over to her. He was about to place his hand on her shoulder, but he stopped himself. "Queen Elsa," he eased, "I don't see why anyone would have reason to kill her. They clearly kidnapped her for a reason."

"But if he wanted to dispose of…"

"I don't think so. Something tells me that's not the case. Anyway, there was no blood. All I saw when I tried to chase them down was glass."

"Glass…" Elsa mused.

"Yes. I tried running after him, but he he escaped. I decided the best thing to do was head towards the west port that lead to the Northwestern Isle. But after about a day of travelling, as you know, I got a little sidetracked when I spotted the ice queen roaming around by herself getting chased by wolves." He smirked.

"There were shards of glass in her room, too," she reflected.

"Kristoff got a nasty cut from one of them," Olaf added. Elsa turned to him curiously.

"But it didn't seem like anything in her room had broken," she continued.

"Maybe it's _cursed glass,"_ Hans suggested.

"Cursed glass?" Elsa inquired anxiously, "What kind of cursed glass?"

"Cursed troll glass. I was cursed by it," he whispered seriously. Elsa listened in curiously like a captivated child. "When I was three my two oldest brothers took a piece of broken glass, pinned me down, and sliced my hand open with it. I still have a little bit of a scar." He pulled off his right glove and showed it to them. The three of them gasped. "They told me that I was going to turn into an evil troll. When they told my other ten brothers…" _Twelve brothers_ , Elsa thought, _that's what it was._ "...they naturally believed them, seeing as they were older and wiser. And I did too. I was fully convinced that one morning I would wake up with a bulging nose and flappy ears. Three of them actually ignored me for two years. Literally. Because they were afraid of me. And the rest of them would call me the Monster Child. Or the Troll Child. Spawn of the devil. They told me that I was evil and would always be evil no matter how hard I tried."

"Wait," Elsa interrupted, "So was it really cursed?"

"Of course not!" he chuckled. Elsa sighed and turned away frustratedly. "It was my mother's vase that they knocked over with a wooden sword. But it may as well have been, because I didn't know any better until later after it was already ingrained into my being that I was no good. And even when they knew it was just a joke, they still insisted that I was bad to the core and I believed them. But that's just one example of all the awful things they did."

He gazed at Elsa, expecting her to express some sort of sympathy or ask him what other awful things they did, but all she said was, "Is this all a joke to you?" Elsa asked.

"What…?"

"I thought you were being serious…"

"No, I'm sorry, I just wanted to add a bit of comic relief."

"We have Olaf for that."

"Wait, don't bring me into this!" Olaf interjected.

"Well, who knows?" Hans continued, "Maybe there is such a thing." Elsa just rolled her eyes and walked away. He paused for a moment, thinking. Olaf was eyeing him knowingly. "Maybe…" he stuttered, "Maybe we should get going. The sooner we leave, the sooner we find Anna."

"But you don't want to eat first?" Elsa muttered.

"Do you?" He asked nervously, "Because...if you do then we can wait, but if you don't-"

"I don't mind going now," she stated, staring at the ground, "But if you want to eat first we can-"

"Let's just eat on the way," he concluded with a smile.

"Deal."

* * *

The appointed day finally came, and there was a surprisingly large amount of people gathered at the village tavern that night. Many were only there out of curiosity than sympathy. They all looked ashamed, and many of them hid under hoods and cloaks, not wanting their friends and neighbors to know they were there. Except that their friends and neighbors were probably there too. Kristoff had the most worthy reason to hide. He cornered himself in the back so that no one would spot him or ask why he wasn't with Elsa looking for Anna. The people were standing around, unsure of what or who they were waiting for.

Suddenly a voice behind him boomed gleefully, "Wow, what a crowd!" The man slammed the door. He was an older man, and he was elegantly dressed with a suit jacket, collar, white waistcoat, black trousers and black boots. He was tall and his longish gray hair was balding. He made his way forward and his regality caused everyone to step out of the way and let him pass. He held a piece of paper in his hand. Kristoff thought it was another flyer, but the writing was small and there were no drawings.

The man stood on a table and the crowd silenced. "Thank you, everyone," he shouted, "Thank you for being here today. I have been looking forward to standing here before you for some time. I will get right to business."

He didn't even bother introducing himself. Kristoff had never seen him before, but he didn't know enough people in Arendelle.

"I have a letter here in my hand, which you all would be very interested to read. A few of you may recall the strange disappearance of King Eberhard, Queen Alvina, and their daughter Princess Mirella twenty-three years ago."

What? Kristoff had never heard of these people. Some of the older occupants of the room glanced around at each other acknowledgingly, remembering the incident, and the younger bunch appeared utterly confused.

"I, like some of you, worked in the palace during the time of that great man's reign and remember the incident all too well. Our 'beloved' King Agnarr told us that all three of them were dead due to a tragic accident, but I'm here to tell you," the man continued, "that it was not just an accident, that the rightful heir to the throne of Arendelle still lives, and that the royal family, including the Queen, has known it all this time." The crowd started whispering to each other. No, that was nonsense, Kristoff thought. Had Elsa and Anna really been lying to everyone this whole time?

"The proof lies in this letter," he continued, "which is dated only five years ago. I have obtained it from Mirella herself. I can assure you that it is completely legitimate, as it is signed with Agnarr's own hand and bears the unique seal of Arendelle. If you would like to see for yourself, you are welcome to come and handle it after this meeting. In the future we will also be distributing copies for you to peruse yourself, but I want as many of you to be able to see the original with your own eyes." He lifted the paper and started to read.

 _To Mirella, daughter of the late Eberhard of Arendelle,_

 _My dearest niece,_

 _I am so glad to hear that you are alive and well. I am relieved to know that you are at peace and able to acknowledge your father's crimes. We will be happy to come to the Northwestern Isle and see you at your request, but Elsa and Anna will not be making the journey with us. I know you are anxious to finally meet your cousins, but circumstances make it impossible to bring them. By the time you receive this letter we will be already aboard the ship to the Northwestern Isle. We look forward to seeing you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _King Agnarr of Arendelle_

The crowd burst into gasps, especially the seniors. They eagerly awaited more of an explanation. What crimes? Why the Northwestern Isle?

"You all know, of course, that King Agnarr and Queen Iduna did not complete their journey. This, indeed, was an accident. However, it remains that Princess Mirella is still alive. The family did not mysteriously disappear. They were exiled unjustly and King Eberhard was murdered."

The crowd started shouting things all at once and Kristoff couldn't understand what they were saying.

"But why? For what crime?" Was the persistent question.

"Treason. The late King Agnarr sentenced him to death in order to obtain the throne for himself." More shouts of outrage erupted the room. Kristoff thought this story sounded awfully familiar.

"What kind of treason!?" A man shouted.

But the mysterious guest didn't answer. He continued his rampage, "And the queen, who begs our sympathy for her crimes, offers no sympathy for her uncle's crimes and no retribution for his innocent, blameless daughter. And not only that, she has recently abandoned her position once again, leaving you all to rule yourselves with no guidance and no defence. And I have witnessed with my own eyes that she is currently conspiring with Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, who also sought to overthrow this kingdom." Everyone gasped in shock. Some, however, seemed rather incredulous.

"That can't be true! She has gone to look for Princess Anna!" one woman said, "She hasn't abandoned us!"

"What proof do you have, sir?!" Someone else shouted.

"But she did leave us," a man countered, "she could have stayed here and let the guards find her."

"Can you really blame her?"

"This isn't the first time she's left! She turned the kingdom to ice and ran away from her responsibilities!"

"How do you know she's conspiring with Prince Hans?!"

The argument became so intense that Kristoff could no longer understand what anyone was saying. But he agreed with the plaintiff. Elsa was not a good ruler. He didn't understand why he didn't realize it before. Plus, it seemed now, she and Anna were liars and frauds just like Prince Hans had been. And apparently their father was too.

"I ask you," the man shouted, silencing everyone, "to join me in preparing for the arrival of our _true_ queen, Queen Mirella, daughter of the late King Eberhard. Who is with me?"

A few hands sprinkled the crowd, most of which belonged to the people who had been part of society since the said king's rule.

"Thank you," the man said humbly, "Thank you. Anyone else?" He pleaded.

One additional person raised his hand.

"Ah yes, you in the back. Thank you so much."

Everyone turned around slowly to gaze at the person in question, and they all gasped as they saw Kristoff Bjorgman raising his fist high in the air.

* * *

 **And you guys thought I had forgotten all about Olaf and Eliana, tehe.**


	9. Chapter 8: Apothecaries and Specialties

**Sorry this took forever, you guys! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Apothecaries and Specialities**

The crowd hushed in unison. "Isn't that Kristoff Bjorgman?" A few whispered. "What is he doing here? Why isn't he with Elsa?"

They didn't think that he could hear them, but he shouted confidently, "Just like the man there said. She abandoned us. She told me she….didn't want my help and that…..when she found Anna she would never come back." More gasps.

"Is that really what she said?" A man bellowed.

"Would I lie to you? And she has done it before, why wouldn't she do it again?" he replied hotly.

"Excuse me, sir," a smooth voice interrupted. It was the leader of the protest. He stepped off the table that served as his soap box and the crowd parted as he walked to the back of the tavern. "Did I hear you say that you are friends with Queen Elsa?"

"I was," Kristoff answered, "I was going to marry her sister, Anna."

"Was?"

"Like you said, Elsa has abandoned her people and has only brought suffering to this kingdom. I'd rather not have anything to do with her _or_ her family."

"I see. That is good. What is your name?"

"Kristoff Bjorgman."

"Pleased to meet you, Kristoff Bjorgman."

"Likewise." Kristoff, who was feeling slightly uncomfortable with all the eyes on him, was about to walk away when the man planted a hand on his shoulder.

The man spotted something on his hand and said coolly, "Say, where did you get that marvelous cut on your thumb?"

"Huh?" Kristoff looked down, and the cut from a few days ago was extremely swollen and had turned a blueish-green. He hadn't really noticed just how bad it was until now. "Oh, it's from a piece of broken glass."

"When did you get it?"

"I think it was the night that Anna disappeared. There was some broken glass on the floor. Probably a vase or something."

"Is that so?" The man inquired, smirking. He paused and then sneered, "Come with me for a bit. I have a small job for you." Then he added, "Oh, and I should probably introduce myself. My name is Kari. Mayor of Kubbergrove."

* * *

 _Kristoff_. She felt a pang in her chest as the name suddenly popped in her mind. _Where is Kristoff?_

"Something on your mind?" The woman beside her asked. Anna's cousin was in her late twenties with dark auburn hair, but she had a round childlike face like Elsa and Anna and the same button nose.

"Oh," Anna replied, shaken from her reverie, "I'm sorry, your majesty. I was paying attention, it's just that I was suddenly thinking about...someone...Please continue." They were walking along a black-sanded beach wearing similar travelling gowns with billowing skirts. Queen Mirella's was a royal purple and Anna's was a deep red. It was a slightly windy, cloudy day as it often was in Reykjaford, and they both wore elegant lace scarves around their heads. This wasn't what Anna would normally wear, but she liked it and she felt more regal than normal. However, she was rather cold and wanted to be finished this little field trip as soon as possible. Luckily the majority of their journey was by coach, but Mirella wanted to walk the rest of the way so that Anna could see the landmark up close.

"No," Mirella countered, "Tell me more about this 'someone'."

"Well, he's actually my finacé. His name is Kristoff and he-" she paused to think and realized that she had _nothing_ good to say about him. "He's kind of vulgar. And he kind of has bad hygiene. No, he has _really_ bad hygiene. Horrible! And he takes his stupid reindeer with him wherever he goes, and he didn't care at all about planning our wedding-"

"Good, good," Mirella muttered, mostly to herself.

"-and he has stupid long hair that's always dirty, and he is always rude and critical, and he only cares about ice, just like Elsa, and he doesn't care that much about me, and I have no idea why I'm marrying him."

"Well that's a shame. Hopefully you will meet someone more worthy of you."

"I guess so."

"So you really had no idea that Elsa knew? She never told you?"

"About Kristoff?"

"No," Mirella laughed, "about me."

"No!" Anna exclaimed, "She didn't talk to me about anything for thirteen years. She was too afraid of herself and too incapable of doing anything useful. I'm amazed she didn't come and find you and hand the throne to you. She obviously didn't want it."

"Yes, very interesting. But then again," she stopped, gazing sadly at the ground, "who would want the daughter of a 'traitor' to rule the kingdom?"

"But your father wasn't a traitor!" Anna exclaimed, facing her and putting a hand on her shoulder, " _My_ father was the traitor. He was just like Prince Hans. And we can prove it! All we need to do is go back to Arendelle and show them!"

"We will, but there is something I need to do here first," she replied with a smirk that sent a chill through Anna's spine. She eyed her questioningly, waiting for her to give more details, and Mirella added with a laugh, "I am still the royal consort of the Northwestern Isle, after all, and have my duties here." Anna could perceive that there was something she wasn't telling her. But before she could ask her, Mirella pointed off into the distance and said, "There, do you see it?" A small billow of smoke was rising above a snowcapped mountain. A _black_ snowcapped mountain.

"It was that one?" Anna asked sadly, putting her arm through Mirella's.

"Yes," Mirella replied softly. She suddenly grew emotional and couldn't speak, trying to hold back tears. "I thought," she wept, "I thought that for sure he would be able to use his powers to escape. I refused to believe that there was anything in the world that could take them away. But they knew that it could, and that's why your father sent him there."

Suddenly, Anna didn't mind the cold. She was glad to be there with her cousin to comfort her during this difficult moment. It disgusted Anna that Elsa didn't bother to reach out to her after committing the same crime as King Eberhard. Was there really no other way to stop the winter? She and Elsa had found one. Couldn't her father have found one too?

* * *

"I think we're almost there," Hans said, leading Sitron with Elsa sitting behind him. A slight breeze was combining the scent of the salt sea air with that of wild geraniums. The two happy snow people were trailing along behind the horse as Olaf pointed out every single flower and rock to Eliana. Apparently snowmen, and snowwomen, didn't get tired since they had no bones or muscles, therefore walking the whole way there was rather enjoyable to them. At least that's what Olaf told Elsa.

Sure enough, off in the distance, Elsa could see the sun setting over what she thought were just a bunch of jutting mountains, but they were actually small islands. On the mainland, little houses and shops dotted the shore.

"Wow," Elsa exclaimed, peering over Hans' shoulder, "Did we really cross completely onto the other side of Arendelle?"

"What's that!?" Eliana exclaimed, "That's a lot of water!"

"It's called an 'ocean'," Olaf explained gently.

"What does it do?"

Elsa laughed, "It just surrounds land and has fish in it."

"What's fish?"

"Oh, it's delicious!" Olaf exclaimed.

As they started to head through the trees down the deserted trail Elsa asked, "What if they recognize us?"

Hans thought for a moment. "If they didn't recognize us in Kubbergrove, it's likely they won't recognize us here."

"But Kari knew who we were."

"Just try to act casual and look inconspicuous!" Olaf shouted, overhearing their conversation.

"I guess it doesn't matter if they know I'm the queen. I mean, I'm allowed to roam around my own-" Then she thought of something. "Wait!" she exclaimed, "Stop!" Sitron halted, startled. "What about Olaf and Eliana?" She, Hans, and Sitron all twisted around to look at them.

Olaf froze for a moment and then said, "Oh, nuh uh. No way we're staying behind."

"Of course we're not going to leave you behind," Elsa said, hopping off the horse, "Not again."

"We could stuff them in a bag," Hans suggested with an indifferent shrug.

"No!" Elsa snapped, "we're not stuffing them in a bag."

"We could pretend to be statues," Olaf said, "and you could be magnificent artists touring the country!"

"Ooh!" Eliana cried, "I like that idea! I like this game!"

"No," Elsa said, shaking her head slowly, "I can see that backfiring."

"They could be our children..." Hans interjected. The other three spun around to look at him, still high upon his horse looking smug.

"What?!" Elsa asked.

Hans blushed, but he continued, "We could wrap blankets around them and pretend they're children."

Elsa was going to reject the idea, but Olaf began before she could speak, "That's _brilliant!_ Mama and papa...What's your last name again?"

"Westergaard," he replied proudly, sitting up straight again.

"Mama and papa Westerncard!" he continued enthusiastically, "But that means Eliana is my sister..."

"Actually, it's pronounced-" Hans started.

"It will only be for a little bit until we get on the ship," Elsa interrupted. Hans glanced at her surprised. She was going to go along with it? "Hans, where are those blankets?" She continued, moving to the horse and tugging on the enormous sack attached to the saddle, attempting to detach it, but having little success. She glanced up at Hans, hoping that he would help her, but he just gazed at her interestedly. She groaned in frustration and continued to tug, finally finding the loops that were attached to the saddle..

"It seems like it would be a bit toasty in there…" Olaf considered.

"We'll line it with ice, don't worry," she muttered, pulling the bag open forcefully once she had detached it. She removed the two blankets that were surprisingly easy to find in the compacted mess and asked jovially, "Alright who wants the brown one and who wants the…" she examined the other blanket, which was also brown. "...dark...brown one?"

Olaf raised an eyebrow and then turning to Eliana he held out a hand in Elsa's direction and said chivalrously, "Ladies first!"

Eliana waddled over and muttered, "Oh...um...I'll take the regular brown one, I suppose…"

"Regular brown it is." Elsa said as she brushed her hands all along one side, covering it with thick frost. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to take away your flurry clouds for a bit. This should be just as good though."

"Now we can stay cool in style!" Olaf exclaimed, pulling Eliana's blanket around her making her look like a rather plump toddler. After Elsa had iced the dark brown blanket, she bundled Olaf in it. "But it's kind of itchy," he added.

"I'll hold them," Elsa suggested, "or would you like to hold them Hans?" she smirked.

"Uh uh," Olaf argued, "No way you're putting me in the arms of the Beast."

"Don't call him the Beast."

"He said I could! I have his explicit permission."

"It's true," Hans affirmed, "And I am one, am I not?" He peered down knowingly at Elsa. Yes, she thought, he probably is. But calling him a beast to his face and calling him a beast in her mind were two different things. But it gave her a headache to think about it too much, so she didn't. After Hans waited for a response and received none, he concluded, "You can hold them, El- _Queen_ Elsa."

"Okay," she said finally, "let's go then."

Hans reached out his hand to pull her up, but she ignored it and instead created a small ice staircase for her, Olaf, and Eliana. She plopped herself in front of Hans, bumping him in the face, and gently placed the two bundles of snow on her lap. "Right," Hans said, rubbing his nose, "So...just act like children."

"Mama!" Olaf cried, "Are we there yet? I have to go baffroom! I'm hungry!"

"Won't it look strange to have somewhat grown children wrapped this tightly in blankets?" Elsa asked Hans.

"No one will really be paying atten-"

"Good evening!" A friendly voice cried. A man pushing a very stinky cart of fish appeared alongside of them from a nearby path. Elsa covered her nose.

"Fish!" Olaf squeaked.

"Ahem," Hans coughed, trying to mask the sound, "Good evening!" He tried to urge Sitron to move a little faster.

"Such a nice evening, don't you think?"

"Um, yes." Hans responded, "Prettiest night I've ever seen!"

"What's wrong with the little ones?"

"Um...they-" Elsa and Hans muttered at the same time.

"They're both…" Elsa started.

"Deathly allergic-"

"To the ocean."

"To the sun."

Elsa did a mental facepalm. The man peered at them puzzledly and muttered, "But the sun's not even-"

"SAND. I meant sand," Hans quickly recovered, "When there's an ocean there's sand too, right? Gets everywhere," he chuckled.

The man stared at him for a moment and then guffawed, "Haha! Right you are! All up in my boots! Say, if they're allergic to the ocean, what are you bringing them here for?"

"Uhm…"

"We just," Olaf squealed, "had to see it once! It's always been our dweeeeeeam!"

"Heh," Elsa cut in, "we couldn't refuse those little faces."

"And I bet they wanted to see the northern lights too, right?"

"Uh-Of course!" Hans exclaimed.

"No way we'd ever miss that!" Elsa added.

"Best view in the country!" The man guffawed, "That looks like a nasty rash on that guy's nose." Olaf ducked and pushed his carrot nose through his face to the other side. "Actually, I know someone who might be able to cure an allergy like that. We see it here all the time."

"Oh really? How wonderful!" Elsa feigned, "What's his name?"

"Ulrich. Ulrich's Apothecary and Specialties."

"Oh, thank you!" Hans cried, "We'll go and see him right away. It's been a pleasure-"

"I'll take you to him! He's a good friend of mine."

"No," Hans said, "It's really fine, I'm sure we can find-"

"I insist!" The man cried. "My name's Dastan, by the way. And you are…?"

"John," he said a little too quickly, "John...son. And this is my wife. M-Margaret." Elsa cringed slightly.

"And I'm Eliana!" Eliana squealed. Elsa shushed her, but then remembered that no one actually knew who the snowpeople were.

"Right," she said smoothly, "and this one's Olaf. Eliana and Olaf Johnson. The ocean intolerants."

"And where do you hail from?"

"The Southern Isles."

"Kubbergrove."

"THE GREENHOUSE!"

"Ahem! Southern Kubbergrove greenhouses..." Hans coughed, "I'm a gardener, heh."

"Really? Fascinating...Well let's go and see old Ulrich now. He should still be awake." Elsa gritted her teeth, but they followed him anyways.

Upon arrival to the village several people greeted old Dastan enthusiastically. No one seemed to notice Elsa, Hans, Olaf or Eliana. Until…

"These are my new friends the Johnsons! We're off to see if Ulrich can help the sick ones." Hans and Elsa smiled nervously and waved.

"Ulrich?" The villager said, "Isn't there someone better you could take them to?"

"Certainly not! I don't trust anyone else with my rashes and ulcers."

"Well all right then…" his friend said, walking away. Elsa clenched her teeth. They had to get rid of him somehow and find out when the next ship for the Northwestern Isle was leaving. They approached a small, out of place, salmon-pink house that looked like it could have been a candy shop. At first Elsa and Hans didn't know they had arrived until Dastan was pounding on the door.

"Ulrich, old man! Why do you lock the doors so early? I have customers for you!"

"Is that Dastan?" A gruff but friendly voice mumbled.

"Who else would visit you after hours?" Out came an old man with a cane, a thick white beard, and a forest green nightcap that matched his forest green robe. Elsa and Hans grinned at them, pretending to be honored by the meeting.

"How's the business, my friend? Any new customers?" Ulrich wheezed.

"No, just the same ones as always. Competition is still as intense as ever. I always overestimate the amount of fish I bring up there. But I just catch so many, what else am I to do with them, eh?" Elsa's face was starting to hurt from smiling. She was afraid that this conversation would take a painfully long time, but Dastan finally got to the point. "These are the Johnsons. Their children have one of those sea salt allergies and I was wondering if you had a remedy for it."

"Well of course!" He exclaimed, "Come right on in! Don't be shy." Hans hesitantly dismounted the horse and helped Elsa and the others off, trying his best to not remove Olaf and Eliana's disguises. Ulrich shook their hands and added, "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. I am Ulrich."

"Likewise," Elsa muttered.

To her relief, Dastan said, "Well, I'd love to stay and catch up, but I have to get these nasty little things to the ice box. See you tomorrow!"

"Farewell friend!" Ulrich cried. "Now, you four come on in." Sitron waited outside anxiously while they headed inside the quaint little house. Elsa covered her nose as they were hit by the pungent scent of every kind of spice and oil that had ever graced the planet. And not only was it an apothecary, but they were surrounded by all the strangest of objects: rusty old jewelry, glass orbs, poorly taxidermied animals, musty boxes full of who-knows-what, strange metal instruments with unclear purposes... "Now," Ulrich said reaching for Olaf and Eliana's blankets, "Let me see them."

"No, no!" Elsa cried, blocking the way. The old man stepped back, alarmed. "Um...what I mean is," she recovered, toning down her voice, "if you could just give us the medicine, we'll pay you and be on our way. We don't want to miss the northern lights, you know?"

"Well, it might be better," Ulrich suggested, "if I can see them to give a proper diagnosis."

"They're allergic to ocean water," Hans repeated.

"Yes but-"

"What's this?" Eliana interjected. They turned and saw her, still bundled in her blanket, staring at a large, old, oval wall mirror standing on the floor. It had intricate gold engravings around the frame of rock trolls and crystals. Eliana seemed drawn to it despite its dirty appearance.

"That darn sheet keeps falling off..." Ulrich muttered. Then he explained, "That item isn't for sale." As Elsa examined it, she noticed just how exquisite it was underneath all the dust.

"It's...beautiful," she sighed.

"It's quite an interesting object. Only two like it in the whole world, I hear. Paid a pretty price for it. But I would be careful and not to get too close," Ulrich warned.

"Why is that?" Hans asked interestedly.

"When you look into it...all is revealed, you could say."

"What do you mean?" Elsa mused, glancing at Ulrich and then back at the mirror apprehensively.

"When you look into it, it shows your true intentions. Your true self."

"Intentions towards what?" Hans inquired, also growing slightly uneasy.

"Oh, towards life, towards the people around you, towards everything you do..." Ulrich moved over to it and pulled the sheet over it, but Elsa stopped him without realizing what she was doing.

"I want to see," she whispered, pulling the sheet off.

"But-uhm," Ulrich decided it would be best not to argue with a customer, "just make sure you don't look into it at the same time as anyone else. If you want to remain discreet, that is..." Hans was tempted to go and stand next to Elsa and get a glimpse of the the ice inside the queen, but he stopped himself, afraid of what she might see in him. Of what _he_ might see in him.

When Elsa looked into the mirror, she hardly recognized herself. At first she saw the powerful and capable young woman determined to find her sister, but then she turned into an ice monster finding any excuse to run away from the world. Happy to not be with her people. She pulled her frightened hands to her chest as frost began to form, and stared for a moment at the evil face peering back at her before turning away in alarm. "I-I think it's broken," she mumbled, "That's not anything like me."

"No," Ulrich said, "I don't think so. I've used it as a sort of therapy tool occasionally. Helping me to come to turns with my...hmm...inner turmoil, I guess you could say. If I were to sell it, it would be worth a lot, but I don't trust anyone with it. Because if it broke, that would be very very bad, because-"

"Can I see?" Hans interjected curiously. Elsa moved out of the way to let Hans pass, Olaf trailing behind him curiously. Hans squinted as he moved forward as if a ghost might jump out of it, but he seemed determined. Elsa wished that she could see too, anxious to know for sure if he really just wanted to be a hero, or if he was somehow still after something else. Particularly if he was after the same thing he was after before. He leaned in nervously, breathing in heavily. Suddenly his eyes went wide and he gasped.


	10. Chapter 9: The Baron

**This is going to be kind of a shorter one, sorry.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: The Baron**

Hans didn't notice Olaf peering around him, looking at the reflection too. His mouth was hanging open under his covering as he turned to peer up at him and then at Elsa, but Elsa was too focused on Hans' expression.

"What is it?" She asked nervously, "What do you see?" He turned to look at her, a look of panic in his eyes, but then he glanced away again. Elsa knew it could only mean one thing. He probably saw himself with her father's crown on his head. He hadn't changed at all. His gallantry had nothing to do with Lynn, Hilde, Abbie or the miners. It wasn't simply a desire to be heroic. It was the inescapable hunger for power.

She started towards him, determined to get a glimpse, but he jumped away from the mirror before she could, stumbling over Olaf. "What the-" he muttered, glaring at the snowman, "You-!" But then, noticing Elsa's anxious eyes on him, he put his nose in the air and looked away. "Queen Elsa's right," he stated, "No meaning in it." Everyone in the room gasped. Hans' face turned white and he bit his lip. "I-I mean...Oh no…"

"Queen Elsa?" Ulrich exclaimed, "Your majesty! Is it really?"

"Yes," she sighed, glaring at Hans. He buried his face in his hands. "This is...uh...my good friend Lars Odegard," she added.

Hans lifted his head and sighed, "No, I'm not going to hide anymore." Elsa raised her eyebrows. "My name is Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles. Pleased to meet you." He held his hand out to Ulrich apprehensively and Ulrich hesitated. Clearly he knew who Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles was, like most people in Arendelle. But then after looking into Hans' eyes he slowly took his hand, holding it there for a moment. Hans flinched thinking that he was about to hurt him.

"Welcome," Ulrich said, taking Hans' hand in both of his and shaking it firmly, "Welcome to West Port. A friend of the queen's is a friend of mine." Hans returned the gesture with a small smile and a single nod of relief and gratitude.

"And-and," Eliana stuttered removing her blanket, "We're not really children!" she started weeping icy tears. "We're snow people!" Ulrich yelped in alarm.

"My sister, Anna," Elsa interrupted pleadingly, "was kidnapped. Do you know when the next ship headed for the Northwestern Isle leaves port?"

"Oh dear...I think," Ulrich started, "Actually I'm not too sure-"

"Nine o'clock," A smooth foreign voice behind them answered. Eliana and Olaf hid under their blankets again. All four of them flipped around and peering at them curiously was a rather handsome man with raven black hair and a mustache. He appeared to be about half a head shorter than Hans and was dressed rather elegantly, like someone of great importance, and he seemed a bit flustered. He was accompanied by two similarly dressed men, and one of them was clearly ill. "Queen Elsa?" he asked nervously, "I never imagined the Queen of Arendelle would be this beautiful." Elsa blushed. Hans fumed.

He walked over to her slowly. "May I?" He took her hand and kissed it gently. Elsa was so taken aback that she couldn't move. Hans growled infuriatingly, but no one seemed to notice. "Gunnwald Bjornson, Baron of Reykjaford. Northwestern Isle."

" _B-Baron Bjornson!_ " Elsa exclaimed. "I-I" Hans raised his eyebrows. She knew this person?

"It seems that you never had the chance to respond to my letters," he affirmed, releasing her hand, "I was actually on my way to see you, but I guess my journey ends here.

"I'm sorry," Elsa stuttered, "I was just...really busy and-"

"No need to apologize. I understand. I actually wanted to speak to you about something more important than, well, courtship-"

"Pleased to meet you, _Baron_ ," Hans interrupted, standing in front of Elsa with his chest out, "I am Hans Westergaard, _Prince_ of the Southern Isles." He took his hand and shook it a little too firmly. Gunnwald winced.

Elsa turned to Hans and muttered under her breath, " _I thought you said you weren't a prince anymore?"_

"Ow...um...pleased to meet you too, your highness," Gunnwald responded cheerfully. Apparently this man knew nothing about The Southern Isles or Hans' history. Pulling his hand away and massaging it with the other he stated, "Now I understand the _real_ reason why Queen Elsa hasn't been responding to my letters."

"No," Elsa corrected, "It's not actually-"

"Indeed!" Hans guffawed, "a very good reason."

" _What are you doing?"_ Elsa growled under her breath.

" _I don't trust him,"_ Hans whispered back.

"You're one to-"

"Excuse me sir!" Gunnwald exclaimed, turning to Ulrich, "I hear yours is the best apothecary in this village. My friend here-" he paused, his eyes fixed on something. Elsa glanced curiously in the same direction and found that he was peering at the mirror. But then he eyed his friends by the door, smiled at Hans and Elsa, and continued nervously, "My friend here has caught seasickness. I wanted to see if you had something for him."

"Of course," Ulrich replied heartily, "See it all the time. This is a fishing village after all. Excuse me," and he hobbled away pushing aside an intricately decorated blue curtain that led up a creaky staircase.

Once Gunnwald had ensured that Ulrich was out of earshot, he turned to Elsa. "Your majesty," he said coming close to her and leading her away from the group by the elbow. Hans slowly followed them, looming over like an angry shadow. Elsa, annoyed, pulled Gunnwald a few inches away. Hans breathed in a deep sigh of defeat, but he continued to listen in carefully. Olaf and Eliana, wrapped in their blankets, were at his feet joining the eavesdropping charade. "I was on my way to see you," Gunnwald continued gallantly, "I assume that you are looking for the missing Princess Anna, am I right?"

"Yes!" she whispered earnestly.

"Right. I was on my way to tell you that I think I know where she is."

"You do?! Is she in the Northwestern Isle?"

"Yes, it's Mirella. She has taken her as...ransom." Although the conversation was obviously meant to be private, he was speaking in a normal tone of voice, which seemed rather odd to Elsa.

"Who is Mirella? What does she want? Whatever she wants, she can have it."

"Wait..." His expression suddenly changed from determination to trepidation. Lowering his tone he stuttered, "y-you don't know who Mirella is?"

" _Should_ I know who she is?" she asked anxiously, waiting for him to give her more useful information. She didn't care who this person was. All she knew was that she had to find her as soon as possible.

His expression contorted and he was lost for words, as if he had rehearsed this conversation but had now forgotten the lines. He pivoted slightly in the direction of his friends, but they were perusing some boxes full of trinkets. This time he was whispering, shaking his head incredulously, "But she's-"

"Sorry for the wait!" Ulrich shouted from halfway up the stairs, "I thought I was out of stock, so I had to do some digging, and there was some more hiding among the troll dust."

Elsa wrinkled her nose. She didn't want to know what troll dust was. Gunnwald stood up straight and slapped a smile on his face, "Ah thank you so much sir. I'll give you two for that."

"Five," Ulrich insisted.

"For such a small bottle? Two should be plenty."

"No, I've only ever taken five for this tonic."

"But Northwestern Isle currency is worth more in your country."

"We have no use for your currency in this country, unfortunately."

"I'll pay for it," Hans interrupted, slapping some coins in Ulrich's hand gloatingly.

"Thank you, your highness" Gunnwald said humbly, "Here, take these. They may be of use to you when we go back to the Northwestern Isle." He handed the foreign currency to him and Hans whipped it out of his hand forcefully.

"Thank you," he responded flatly without any expression. Then he hesitated and asked, his eyebrows furrowed, "Wait. We?"

"Yes," Gunnwald answered matter-of-factly, "My men and I will be taking you to the princess, of course."

"No, no," Hans countered, shaking a finger at him, "Not necessary. I have researched your country rather extensively and I'm sure I'll be able to navigate us just fine." He hesitated again and added quickly, "Once you tell us where she is." His attitude was starting to get on Elsa's nerves. He claimed that Gunnwald was untrustworthy, but who was he to talk? If this Gunnwald wanted to help her rescue Anna, then what else mattered?

"I believe you that you are capable, your highness," Gunnwald argued, "but you don't know anything about the palace where she is being held or the people that reside there. I am a nobleman and have been there many times. They are...dangerous people."

"The palace?" Elsa exclaimed, "She's being held ransom by the royal family?"

"Yes, by Queen Mirella."

"But why? What does she want?"

"She wants...uhm…" he stopped and pondered for a moment, again as if he forgot a line in a play. "I-I just heard that she wants to see you," he asserted quickly. "She doesn't know I'm here, of course." Elsa observed that there was something he wasn't telling her.

"How did you find out that she took Anna in the first place?" she questioned him suspiciously, cocking her head to one side.

"I-I'll explain all to you on the way," he replied, glancing again at his companions, the one of which was guzzling down the bottle of tonic, the other of which was standing ready to go with his arms crossed. "But, um, the ship doesn't leave for another hour and a half. How about if I buy you some dinner first?" The man behind him who was not ill grinned in agreement and the other shook his head in disgust.

"We're not hungry," she lied.

"But I thought," Hans said, "you didn't have any Arendelle currency..."

"Well then I can pay you back." Hans groaned at the same time that his stomach did.

They said a final farewell to Ulrich and headed out the door, Olaf and Eliana trailing behind discreetly. Elsa glanced off in the distance to see if there were any ships that appeared to be leaving, but it was too dark to tell. All she could see off in the distance was a lighthouse glowing on one of the small islands. Hans untied Sitron and they followed Gunnwald to a nearby tavern. Hans looked extremely nervous and his mouth seemed to be glued into a frown. But the only thing Elsa was anxious about was getting on that ship before it left.

Hans waited until Gunnwald and his friends had walked through the door before whispering to Olaf and Eliana, "You two stay with Sitron." Then he smirked and added, "A tavern is no place for _children_."

"But-!" Olaf whispered. A frightened Sitron whinnied at Olaf, urging him to not leave him alone. Olaf patted him on the leg and sat down grumpily.

Hans was about to follow the others but then he pivoted around again and exclaimed, "And one more thing." He slowly knelt on one knee to stare Olaf in the face. Sitron listened in intently as Hans whispered, pointing a finger at Olaf, "Don't. Say. _Anything_ to Elsa. Got it?"

"About what?" Olaf asked. Hans peered at him knowingly. "Oh right!" he acknowledged. Then, pretending to zip his mouth shut he muttered, "My lips are sealed!"

"Good," Hans said. He glanced anxiously at the door that Elsa and her new friends had entered and walked briskly in after them.

The tavern was packed to the brim with people and it was somewhat difficult to hear. "Shouldn't we go somewhere else that's a bit more quiet?" Elsa shouted, "I have more things I want to ask you."

"No," Gunnwald argued, "this will be just fine."

"Elsa's right," Hans exclaimed, catching up to them, "We want to make sure we can hear _every word you say_."

" _Queen_ Elsa," Gunnwald corrected, reading Elsa's thoughts. Elsa grinned, her feelings of uneasiness settling slightly. Hans grimaced.

Off in the corner there was a fiddler attempting to entertain the guests, but no one seemed to be listening. They ordered some halibut and cider, but Elsa and the seasick man hardly touched any of it. Hans and Gunnwald ate the fish heartily, but Gunnwald's burly friend was the only one interested in the spirits.

"So tell me, Baron, who is this Mirella?" Elsa shouted across the table. Hans listened just as intently for Gunnwald's answer, but he made none, simply rested his chin on his hand and swayed with the music contentedly.

"BARON!" Elsa yelled again.

"What?" Gunnwald asked calmly, turning to face her.

"Where is my sister? If you came all this way...Where is the capital of the Northwestern Isle?"

"Actually, it's in Reykjaford," Hans interjected loudly.

"What?" Elsa shouted.

"In Reykjaford!" Hans repeated.

"Wreck your food?" she yelled.

"Yes, Reykjaford!"

"No, I'd rather not, thanks!" This was getting ridiculous, Elsa thought. "Baron!" she yelled, "Can we _please-"_

"Oh, I love this tune!" Gunnwald exclaimed, interrupting her. She leaned back, appalled and confused. Hans was prepared to sock him in the face. "Your Majesty! Will you care to dance with me?"

"She's not dancing with anyone until you tell us-" Hans began, pointing a sharp finger at him.

"Lovely, let's go!" he said and he pulled her out of her chair, took her by the waist and started spinning her in circles away from the table. Hans shot up out of his chair and bounded over to them, fists clenched.

"What do you think you're-!" he shouted, arm in the air, but then Gunnwald grabbed both his and Elsa's wrists and dragged them forcefully through the crowd and out the back door of the tavern.

"What are you doing!?" Elsa shouted. But once they had arrived outside Gunnwald grasped both her arms firmly and leaned in close to her.

"Listen to me," he whispered, peering over their shoulders to make sure they wouldn't be overheard, "You have to go home. Now."

" _What?!"_ Elsa exclaimed.

"Anna is dead," he breathed, "Go home."

* * *

 **What's interesting about Baron Gunnwald Bjornson is that when I introduced him in the first chapter, I wasn't planning on using him at all in the future. Same thing with Reykjaford and the Northwestern Isle. It was originally supposed to be some random pointless background information and I just decided to turn into a key part of the plot. That is why the names Reykjaford and The Northwestern Isle are so unoriginal and uncreative(Reykjaford=Reykjavik). I came up with them off the top of my head because I didn't think it mattered, haha. Afsakið, my Icelandic readers, if it sounds really lame.**

Pronunciation Guide:

Reykjaford=Rake ya ford

Gunnwald=Goon-vald

Bjornson=Beeyordn son


	11. Chapter 10: The Great Oydis

**Chapter 10: The Great Oydis**

Elsa's face turned white as she pulled away, ready to collapse on the floor.

" _No,"_ she gasped, " _no, it can't-"_ The air grew cold and a fierce wind encompassed them. Hans tried to steady her, but she pulled away.

"It was Queen Mirella," Gunnwald continued, shaking his head mournfully with his eyes fixed on the floor. Then facing her he gazed at her with more urgency, "and she plans on killing you too. You need to go home. If you go around on the left side of the building you won't be seen."

Elsa observed that his tone was only partially sincere and he wasn't exactly meeting her eyes. "You're lying," she muttered. He glanced at the floor again. She cocked her head, waiting for him to speak, but he said nothing. "You're lying!" she repeated, more confidently this time.

"Sshh!" Gunnwald cried peering over their shoulders again and then at her icy clenched fists, "If they find out I'm telling you this…"

"Who?" she questioned angrily.

He didn't answer. Just continued frantically yet softly, "You just have to trust me. You can't go to The Northwestern Isle."

"Is my sister alive or not? I'll...do something I might regret unless you tell me!" she threatened.

"She's alive!" he cried pleadingly. Elsa breathed in a deep sigh of relief. "Now please!" he whispered, "I beg of you, keep your voice down!"

"Why would you lie about something like that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Princess Anna," he panted, "is _worse_ than dead. The Anna you know is _gone_."

" _What?"_ she gasped, "What does that even mean? No. I refuse to go home. I demand that you take us to her. I don't care who wants to kill me."

"But Elsa," Hans cried.

" _Queen_ Elsa, for the last time, Hans!" she yelled, agitated that he wasn't siding with her.

"Your prince is right," Gunnwald whispered, "It's not worth it. No matter what she offers you, whether you accept it or not, she _will_ kill you."

"How do you know all of this?" Hans asked.

He whispered even more softly, continuing to address Elsa, " _Mirella was the one who sent me to Arendelle to find you."_

"You're _working for her?"_ Hans growled.

"It's a bit of a long story, but there's no time to-"

"Your Lordship," a gruff voice bellowed behind them.

Gunnwald spun around. "Rúrik!" he cried, grinning at his burly friend who did not return the gesture.

"The ship will be leaving soon, I think," Rúrik informed them.

Gunnwald turned to face Elsa and Hans in panic. He paused before exclaiming, "Right! Let's get you on the ship, your majesty!" Elsa began to understand who was actually in the line of authority here. She attempted to form a plan as they filed back into the tavern to pay for the meal. Should she freeze Rúrik and his companion? No, she didn't want to hurt anyone. Not again. She would only use her powers as a last resort or as a threat. She resolved to simply play along and keep a firm eye on them.

As they made their way out the door, Hans glanced at Elsa expectantly, attempting to read her expression and decipher what she planned to do. But she didn't look at him, just smiled politely as she listened to Gunnwald and "his" men discuss the best path to take upon arriving to the Northwestern Isle so that they could remain "undetected". She was under the impression that Hans would be a coward and decide that this so-called death trap was a little _too_ heroic for his liking, but he stayed by her side nonetheless.

Hans untied a very relieved Sitron who supposed they had forgotten about him. Olaf and Eliana scurried away like mice and hid behind a water trough. Spotting them, Elsa motioned for them to follow. They tried to act natural, but passerbies were eyeing them curiously. One woman leaned down to get a closer look, so Olaf detached his head from his body, lifted it closer to the woman's face and whispered cheerfully, "Hi." The woman screamed and sped away in alarm, dragging her walking companion with her.

Elsa slowed and tiptoed to her snow friends. "Olaf!" she whispered, "Wait until we're not in a big crowd of people."

"Am I that scary looking?" he frowned.

"No, that's not what I meant," she sighed, "You know what I meant."

"I'm not sure I do," he joked. She merely turned back to a cheerful Gunnwald and a solemn Hans and grinned.

"Everything all right, your majesty?" Gunnwald asked.

"Oh yes, of course!"

They could just barely begin to see the emerald and royal purple lights shimmering behind the miniscule jutting islands, the rotating lighthouse lantern, and the massive full rigged ship they were about to board. It was cedar red with three masts to which were attached layers of canvas sails yet to be released into the wind.

As they approached the narrow dock Gunnwald glanced at Elsa and Hans again calmly as Rúrik and his friend hovered over him. "I will pay for your passage," he stated gallantly.

"No, that's not necessary," Hans countered.

"No, I insist! Consider it my duty to you as guests in my country."

"Except," a man interjected, appearing before them, "we don't allow horses on this particular ship."

"I'm sorry, sir," Hans stated, "But my horse _is_ boarding with us."

"No, it is not. As captain of the ship I won't permit it."

"We can keep him in the cargo hold. I promise you he won't cause any trouble."

"I'm sorry, but the cargo hold is full."

"Captain," Elsa interrupted coyly, "as the Queen of Arendelle I am eager for the opportunity to sail the great...um…" She shifted her gaze back and forth, searching in the dark for the ship's nameplate.

"The Oydis, your majesty!" the captain cried in astonishment, bowing on one knee and inclining his head.

"Right, The Great Oydis." She hung her head sadly and sighed, "But I guess I can't have that privilege now. We have a long journey ahead of us, and to make it without a horse," she tisked, "would be devastating to my poor royal legs. I suppose I will just have to delay our journey and board a less worthy ship." She turned and proceeded to walk away.

"Well," the Captain exclaimed humbly, lifting himself back on his feet and reaching out a hand as if to pull her back, "I'm sure we can make a small exception and find _somewhere_ to place him."

She pivoted around. "Oh Captain, really? You would do that for me?" she exclaimed, holding her hands to her cheeks in feigned excitement.

"I would do _anything_ for you, your majesty," he bowed.

"Thank you so much, Captain," Hans added. The captain merely sneered at him.

After Hans squeezed Sitron down the loading ramp, the only place he could find for him was a tight spot among crates of smelly fish. Sitron whinnied in disagreement, but Hans whispered, holding his nose, "It's only for a little bit, boy. Just...try not to inhale." Sitron huffed angrily and Hans quickly made his way back up the ramp where, much to his chagrin, he found Elsa and Gunnwald chatting together contentedly on the starboard side of the forecastle deck as they observed the northern lights off in the distance. Gunnwald's two "friends" were keeping watch close by and Olaf and Eliana were perched on a railing on the opposite side, still in their blankets, taking in the view. Hans tried guiltily to overhear what Gunnwald and Elsa were saying, but their voices were drowned out by the chimes of bells and the shouts of men as they raised the anchor and let down the sails.

"So what is your plan?" Elsa whispered, smiling coyly, pretending to be flirting.

"We just play along," he coughed, "As long as I'm here they won't hurt you. Haha! You're such a charmer, your majesty."

"You're too flattering, Baron!" she shouted. Then lowering her tone she asked, "Who are 'they'?" She, of course, knew who "they" were, but she wanted to be sure.

"Rúrik and Þorberg," he whispered, hinting in the direction of the two men, "They're not really my friends. They're guards. Mirella's guards."

Elsa shuddered and then continued, "What did you mean 'the Anna I know is gone'?"

"She's distorted," he answered, pointing up to the sky and tracing a nonexistent constellation, "She's dangerous to you and to your prince."

"Distorted?" she repeated perplexedly, "Well, I know she's a danger to Hans." She forced a grin, hanging on the rail and swaying back and forth. "But she's my sister," she declared confidently, "She would never hurt me."

"I'm afraid to say that she would."

She stopped her swinging and turned to him fearfully, "What do you mean, exactly?"

Rúrik and Þorberg were much closer to them than before. "So!" Gunnwald started, "Why didn't you just write and tell me that you were already engaged?"

Elsa glanced at the guards in frustration and then up at him. "Engaged?" she mused, "Who is there for me to be engaged to?" She turned away anxiously.

"Well, your Prince Hans, of course," he assumed, examining her with one arm leaning on the railing.

Elsa laughed, "Prince Hans? No, of course not! What gave you that idea? He's only helping me find my sister."

"Well, it just seemed that way to me. I see the way he looks at you." Elsa inhaled quickly and shifted her gaze straight ahead towards the expand of ocean, mouth gaping open. He continued with a smirk, "I know because, well, I was in love once."

"Love?" Elsa gagged.

"Yes," he sighed, "When I was eight years old my father took in an orphan. We were only children, but I fell in love with her instantly. I vowed to devote the rest of my life doing whatever it took to make her happy," he gazed off in the distance. "And she took advantage of that for sure."

"Do you still love her?" Elsa inquired curiously.

He exhaled. "Of course I do."

"Where is she now?"

"Well...she's still in the Northwestern Isle," he stated, refusing to look at her.

"Well that's a relief, I thought you were going to say she was dead."

"No." He shook his head. "She's certainly not dead."

"Well then why would you propose marriage to me if you still love her?"

"She married someone else," he responded, "Someone with a little more power. And more money."

"Oh." Elsa's heart panged and she bit her lip. "I'm...sorry." She didn't know much about romantic love, but she imagined it to be similar to the love of a sister or parent. And she knew how it felt to lose someone you loved.

"And also," he added, "because Rella-I mean Mirella-asked me to." Elsa gaped at him, speechless. "But enough about that," he declared, "Tell me, if Prince Hans didn't care for you in some way, why would he come all this way to help you when he knows nothing about the Northwestern Isle?"

To be a hero, Elsa thought to herself, shaking her head. At least that's what he told her, but she thought she knew the real reason. The only reason Prince Hans of the Southern Isles would want to help anyone. But she didn't tell Gunnwald this. "He spent a lot of time studying your country," she snorted, "He says he knows all about the volcanoes and claims the sand is black." She surprised herself at how well she remembered the exchange back in Kubbergrove.

Gunnwald laughed, "It's true, there are volcanoes and the sand is black, but there's a lot more to learn about it than by just looking at maps and paintings." He paused and then asked, "Anyways, do you care for him too?"

"What?! No!" she exclaimed, standing up straight, "Of course not! And he doesn't care for me either. He's helping me find my sister and that is all _._ Once we find Anna and return home, he will go his way and I will go mine. End of story." Suddenly Elsa felt a pang in her chest that she couldn't explain and her face fell. Dismissing it she added, "And I'd prefer not to talk about him anymore."

"Well, would you look at that," Gunnwald exclaimed, looking up at the sky and then smirking at her, "It's snowing."

"So it is," she replied indifferently, crossing her arms.

"In the middle of spring."

"It's _early_ spring."

"Actually he's right," Hans interrupted, looking up at the sky as he arrived at the top of the stairs, "Early May would be considered mid-spring." Elsa pivoted around in panic. She examined his expression and although it was dark, it was safe to assume that he was relatively ignorant. She turned back again in frustration to examine the land slowly disappearing off in the distance. "What did you do to set her off, Baron?" He added defensively.

He didn't respond, only declared, "I have to discuss some things with Rúrik and Þorberg." He winked knowingly at Elsa and pivoted around but Elsa grabbed his arm.

"Baron," she whispered, "What if-"

"It's all right," he interrupted soothingly, putting a hand on hers, "I will be right over there where you can still see me. Nothing will happen."

She rested her arms to her sides and watched him go. Hans eyed her interestedly, maintaining a safe distance, but she refused to look at him. A bitter cold started to fill the air and Hans shivered, wrapping his arms around himself.

"He'll be fine," he assured her, still not taking his eyes off her. She didn't respond. "Are you still angry about the troll glass story?"

"No," she responded flatly.

He paused and then asked, "Did the Baron say something that upset you?"

"No," she lied, tensing.

"Then what's the problem?"

"What did you see in the mirror?" she muttered, still not looking at him.

He laughed. "That's for me to know and you to never find out, your majesty." He smirked, sticking his nose in the air and gazing at the northern lights, "It's amazing how the sky can turn different colors. Did you know that-"

"Don't change the subject," she growled, facing him now, "If I tell you what I saw will you tell me?" she pleaded.

"Probably not. Why do you want to know so much?"

"I need to know that I can trust you," she insisted. She paused and turned to search for Gunnwald and his two companions. They were still in view having an intense conversation. Olaf and Eliana, however, had gone off on a leisurely stroll. She faced Hans again.

"Oh, I know!" he took a step closer to her. "You think I saw myself as King of Arendelle, am I right?" She didn't speak, only glared at him. He took another step towards her, staring her down. Ice began to crawl across the railing from her fingertips and she instinctively pulled them to her chest. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that's not what I saw," he declared, removing his hand as well.

"How can I know for sure that you're telling the truth?" Elsa cried.

"You can't know," he responded.

"Then what did you see?"

"I saw…" he hesitated, "Kubbergrove. They were all cheering for me for rescuing the princess and they weren't afraid of me anymore."

"Why would that be such a big secret?" she inquired suspiciously, taking a step towards him, trying to discern his expression, "There's something you're not telling me…"

"No, that's all there is to tell. I have no interest in becoming your king anymore." He didn't entirely meet her gaze.

"If you're lying to me again...Don't forget what I'm capable of…"

"Tell me something," he continued, peering at her again, "Why do you still want my help when you don't trust me? You have the Baron of Reykjaford now. A native of the Northwestern Isle who knows every rock and tree and creature."

"You're right," she huffed, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes, "I have no idea."

"Then why don't you just freeze me now and throw me overboard?" he asked, leaning towards her a bit.

"Maybe I should!" She cried, looking back over to the bow, "I-" Gunnwald, Rúrik, and Þorberg were gone. Hans looked past her shoulder and took notice of it too. There was a cold silence, and suddenly they heard the unsheathing of a knife, a piercing cry, and finally, after a moment, a loud splash.

"Baron…" Elsa muttered, and she began pacing quickly to the stairs.

"Elsa stop!" Hans cried. Elsa didn't bother to correct his form of address. She tried to get a glimpse of where the sound was coming from, but her vision was blocked by the billowing sails. She sprinted down the steps, Hans following close behind, to the main deck which was void of people, except for the two finely dressed men looming by the port side. Rúrik was wiping his hand with a handkerchief. Elsa gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Hans took hold of her wrist and pulled her to the opposite side of the forecastle where he pinned her behind him. She struggled to get a better view, but he restrained her, peering around the corner.

"Wh-why would they…?" she gaped. Hans didn't respond. He was contemplating their next course of action. "This is all my fault," she muttered, "I could have stopped them. I should have been watching more carefully."

"It's not your fault," Hans whispered frustratedly. The guards strutted casually towards the stairs they had just come down, glancing left and right to be sure they hadn't been seen. Hans and Elsa flattened themselves more firmly against the wall as the two men made their way up. "We need to hide," Hans stated.

"What are they going to do to-"

"I don't know, but I don't want to find out."

"They're not here," they heard Rúrik mumble above them, "You head towards the lower deck. I'll keep looking around here." Wood creaked above them followed by one pair of footsteps bounding down the stairs. Hans took Elsa's hand again and pulled her backwards.

"Ok," Hans whispered, facing her, "we'll do one at a time. I'll distract them while you freeze them. And then-"

"No, no I can't do that!" she cried, pulling her hands to her chest.

"You have to!"

"No, I don't want to hurt anyone! I'm not a monster!"

"Elsa, please! You would freeze me and throw me overboard, though, right?"

"No, I wouldn't…" She paused and then added angrily, clenching both fists, "That's only something _you_ would do." He took a step back, the statement cutting him like a knife. Not because it was a cruel accusation, but because she was right. He could do something like that if he really wanted to.

Elsa clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing that she had gone too far. "Hans, I'm sorry," she pleaded, "I shouldn't-"

"Forget it," he said flatly, "We'll figure something else out." Rúrik slowly inched his way down the stairs again. Elsa and Hans were paralyzed to the spot. "Here is what we'll do. I'll-"

But Elsa pushed him aside and reached out her arm, squinting one eye to get a good aim.

"I knew you that you would come to your-" Hans whispered triumphantly, but suddenly there was a crack and spikes of ice shot up ahead at the base of the quarter deck. The burly man bolted in its direction. Elsa stepped out of her hiding place and, closing both eyes, she raised her arms up. A fierce wind blew, and flurries began soaring and spinning out of control. The ship started to rock, creaking as it went. Hans held on to the side of the wall to keep himself steady as he gazed at the scene, his mouth hanging open in awe. All of a sudden there was a bolt of lightning behind them followed closely by the pound of thunder. They spun around.

"Wow. I didn't know you could do that," Hans muttered.

"That wasn't me..." she trailed off as the snow turned to pouring rain. The sky that was clear only a few minutes ago was now gray and desolate.

Men began shouting, calling to each other to pull up the sails. One of them spotted them.

"What are you two doing?! Get below deck! Do you want to get killed?!"

"Come on, let's go," Hans shouted as the rain pelted their heads. He took her hand and ran to the other side towards the entry that led to the lower deck.

"But we'll run into Mirella's guards!" She cried back.

"We're going to have to risk it!"

"We need to find Olaf and Eliana and get off the ship!"

"Why would we want to get off the ship when our lives depend on staying on it?!"

They ran down the stairs to the lower deck where frightened passengers were roused from their sleep, clutching each other in peril. Children were sobbing as their mothers attempted to comfort them. One woman was howling particularly loudly, rocking back and forth and muttering something in a foreign language. Hans and Elsa, soaking wet, were tripping over feet as they tried to find a place to sit or a wall to hold onto. They spotted two bundles of blankets huddled in a corner.

"Olaf! Eliana!" Elsa cried, stumbling over to them, "Pardon me. Excuse me. Sorry." They uncovered their faces morosely where she found dents and holes where the rain had sloughed them.

"I'm hideous!" Eliana cried. Elsa discreetly passed her hands over their faces, restoring their appearances. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rúrik and Þorberg careening about peering at the faces of the people. "Olaf," Elsa whispered, "Eliana, follow us. But act casual and don't run."

"Who are we running from?" Olaf questioned perplexedly.

She slowly stood up and instinctively grabbed Hans' arm for support before quickly letting go. They paced nonchalantly in the opposite direction, Olaf and Eliana trailing behind them. Their blankets were soaking wet, so they finally gave in and threw them to the side. Everyone screamed. "What is that?" some cried, "They're alive!"

"Oh no…" Hans muttered. The guards spotted them. "Run." They bolted, Hans taking hold of Elsa's hand and Olaf taking hold of Eliana's. But there was nowhere to go. In front of them was the storm and behind them were the guards. They paused for a moment, unsure of what to do, the thunder pounding down around them. Elsa braced herself. She gripped Hans' hand tightly before sprinting up the slippery stairs. Olaf, who was clutching Eliana's hand, caught ahold of Hans' sleeve and they bounded up together. As soon as they all arrived on the main deck, Elsa spun around, rain pelting her face, and formed a barrier of ice, obstructing the water from entering the lower deck. But unfortunately, she was too late to lock Mirella's guards inside. They appeared in front of them, slowly approaching them with their fists clenched. With a wave of Elsa's hand, however, the rain above them turned into hail and struck them all like soft bullets. All six of them slipped and tripped as they chased and escaped. Elsa hauled Hans towards the railing of the ship and Olaf and Eliana came tumbling after.

"Elsa, what are you doing?!" Hans shouted. Soon she was climbing over the edge. "ELSA STOP!" She jumped and he had no choice but to jump in after her. The waves that were slapping the side of the ship froze and they slid down a slippery slope towards the open sea. She reached out her hands, closing her eyes, afraid to look. But the ice successfully spread over the vast space, forming mountains of glaciers around them. The ship smashed into the crest of the glacier just barely missing them, leaving an enormous gash on the starboard side. She pulled Hans up and they climbed up and down hills of ice, advancing as far away from the ship as possible. Above them they could just barely make out Rúrik and Þorberg hanging over the railing, shielding their heads from the hail, right before they disappeared defeatedly into the main deck.

"Are you crazy, Elsa?!" Hans exclaimed, stumbling on his knees to keep his balance as the wind, waves, and hail knocked them to and fro.

"Queen Elsa," she corrected him dazedly, but she was drowned out by the claps of thunder. From a distance, she gazed in awe at the spectacle before them. So much water was filling the ship it was a wonder it was still afloat. This was how her parents died, she thought.

Suddenly Hans gasped. "SITRON!" he shouted, lunging himself back towards the sinking ship.

"HANS NO!" Elsa screamed, trying to seize his coat, but he was already out of reach.

"I'm not leaving without him!"

"Stop!" She whimpered, "Hans!" She held out her hands and tried to freeze the entire scene before her, but the waves were too strong. It was difficult enough to keep the water below them firm in place. As soon as she formed the glaciers, they would just break into pieces. She turned the hail into snow flurries, but the sea water would not cease to fill the ship. She watched Hans hop onto the ladder on the stern side, struggling to hold on as the ship swayed back and forth. Suddenly, she imagined her parents inside it. She wondered at every single detail surrounding their deaths. Every insignificant detail. What side did the ship sink on? Where on the ship were they? What were their last words? Their last thoughts? Were they together? Did they have the chance to say goodbye to each other? She had had nightmares about their deaths, and now she was witnessing it firsthand. Was Hans going to die just like them?

Hans pulled himself over the railing of the doomed vessel. He toppled around, searching through the blizzard to find the entrance to the cargo hold. As he made his way down he found himself chest-deep in freezing cold water. He shivered. He couldn't remember exactly where he had placed Sitron and wished he had paid more careful attention. He knew, of course, that he was by some barrels of fish, but it was impossible to see in the darkness. Only one lantern was still lit, swinging back and forth.

"Sitron!" he shouted, "Sitron, where are you?!" He heard a whimper, but it wasn't that of a horse. He spun around to find a little girl of about four years or so, crouching on the top of a barrel, paralyzed to the spot, sobbing uncontrollably. Clearly she had escaped from her parents to go exploring some time before the storm. He sloshed over to her as fast as he could and scooped her up in his arms. "Mamma!" she weeped, "Mamma!" But there was no time. They had to get out as soon as possible.

"Sitron!" he cried again, clutching the girl to his chest, trying to keep her head above water, which was steadily rising. At last he heard a weak whinny and spotted his horse. He trudged over to Sitron, who was trapped by some heavy crates. Hans climbed over them and plopped the little girl on Sitron's back. "Hold on tight!" he soothed. The girl obeyed, gripping Sitron's mane with her little hands. Hans heaved away the crates blocking Sitron's path, but struggled to grip the ones underwater. He exerted all his strength and was able to form a narrow trail. He tugged Sitron's reins leading him gradually out of the cargo hold. He kept checking to ensure that the little girl was still firmly attached to his back. At last they reached the ramp and arrived onto the main deck. He pulled the little girl off of Sitron's back and clutched her as the wind and snow tossed them about. He heard the people in the lower deck screaming for their lives. Hans tumbled to the entrance and smashed open the wall of ice Elsa had created. "Mamma!" the little girl cried some more.

"Lilja!" a woman shouted, "Hvar ertu?!"

"Mamma!" the little girl screamed, "Hér! Hér!"

"Lilja!" A middle-aged woman came bounding through the broken ice wall and tore Lilja from Hans' arms. It was the woman in hysterics they had spotted earlier. "Takk fyrir!" she cried, squinting up at him in gratitude, "Takk fyrir!" He nodded in acknowledgment. She began shouting angrily at the little girl. Hans couldn't understand her, but he assumed she was scolding her for running off. More screams came as people climbed for the surface. Hans, was frozen to the spot, trying not to topple over, gripping the woman's arm with one hand and Sitron's reins with the other. Suddenly an enormous wave washed over them. Sitron whinnied loudly. The woman and the little girl slipped from Hans' grasp and he was tumbling out of control, holding his breath. He couldn't see which way was up or down. All he could feel was cold.

* * *

 **So, Iceland is quite a distance from Norway, but we're just going to pretend, okay? Okay.**

 ** _Rough_ Pronunciation guide:**

 **Rúrik - Roo-rick**

 **Þorberg - Thorburg**

 **Lilja - Lilia**

 **Hvar ertu - Kvar ertuh "Where are you"**

 **Hér - Hee-yair "Here"**

 **Takk fyrir - Tak feereer "Thank you very much"**

 **Obviously these are all Icelandic names/words.** **Fun fact of the day, "Sitron," which is Norwegian for "lemon" is actually pronounced "Seetroon." In Denmark, which is essentially where Hans is from, it is spelled "Citron" and is pronounced more like it is in French. I am a polyglot, in case you were wondering. It's kind of my obsession.**


	12. Chapter 11: Go On Living

**Sorry this took forever. 10 points to Gryffindor if you can spot the Once Upon A Time and Little Mermaid references.**

* * *

Chapter 11: Go On Living

Elsa, Olaf and Eliana crouched together on a thick floating glacier, struggling to stay aboard. Elsa held on with one hand and reached out the other towards the ship, freezing the water just for it to break again. Freezing and breaking. Freezing and breaking. But she didn't stop no matter how exhausted she was. If she had to, she would cling there forever, her arm outstretched, until the storm stopped. She wasn't going to leave without Hans. The ship was over halfway submerged now. He's drowned, Elsa thought. All of those people would drown too. Just like her parents. She wanted to save them, but she was too frightened to do anything else besides kneel there, her arms outstretched, fighting hopelessly against the uncontrollable waves. She imagined their families receiving the news that their parent, child, sibling or spouse would not be coming home. She remembered exactly how excruciating it was for her. Would Hans' horrible family care, though? The people of Kubbergrove would, if she ever had the unfortunate opportunity to tell them. She could imagine Lynn's face, sobbing at the news that her precious Lars had sunken to the bottom of the ocean.

Suddenly, she thought she saw the silhouette of a horse looming over the railing of the ship, but the snow was too thick and it was too dark to tell if someone was on it. The only light available were the sequential flashes of lightning. She heard several splashes, but there could have been various possible sources. Forgetting her fears, she sprinted in the direction of the sound, every step creating a new patch of slippery ice. Olaf and Eliana chased after her. They hopped from glacier to glacier, tripping as they went. Finally Elsa slipped and fell forward with a thud, and as she attempted to push herself back up, she searched the scene but saw nothing. No horse, no Hans.

"Hans?!" she cried weakly, afraid to move, scanning the darkness and blocking the snow from her eyes. All at once she heard a gasp, and Hans and Sitron emerged from the water. Elsa cried out in relief, crawling over to them. Hans pushed Sitron onto the glacier as Elsa pulled Hans up and without realizing what she was doing, she threw herself on him, pinning his arms to his sides. Hans was so astonished he couldn't move. Finally he decided to pat her awkwardly on the arm with one hand in a weak attempt to comfort her, right before they toppled over.

She quickly pushed herself up, glaring at him. She shoved him repeatedly in the torso and shouted, "Don't. Ever. Do that. Again!" But she stopped as she saw his crestfallen and exhausted expression. He slowly turned around to gaze at the ship. With every flash of lightning, they could see it gradually disappear.

"I could have saved them…" he muttered, "I could have saved them, but I didn't..."

Elsa felt a pang in her chest. "Who?" she questioned, gripping the ice below them.

"I need to g-g-go back…" he shuddered, pivoting around.

"No!" Elsa cried grabbing his soaked sleeve, "Don't you dare go back!"

He didn't argue. He was paralyzed to the spot, partially because he was afraid to return and partially because he was losing the feeling in his hands and feet. There were a few moments in which no one spoke. The only sounds were the thunder, the screams, the creaking wood, and the pounding waves. "This is how my parents died," Elsa muttered tearfully. Hans twisted back around to look at her with concern, but she continued gazing at the scene. He was unsure of what to say, but with the loss of the little girl and her mother, he supposed he could capture just a tiny glimpse of what she was feeling.

Elsa examined him. "Hans," she uttered, "you're shivering…" With all the adrenaline running through him, he hadn't noticed just how cold it was.

"I'm…f-f-fine," he stuttered, teeth chattering.

"No, no you're not!" His soaked hair and clothes were covered in icy crystals and she surveyed him as if there was some way she could magically make him dry again. "We need to get out of this storm and get to land." She, Olaf, and Eliana helped him to his feet. "Just keep wiggling your fingers and toes," she instructed.

"W-w-what ever happened to f-f-freezing me and throwing m-m-me overb-b-board?" he chattered with a laugh, as if humor could somehow minimize the cold and diminish the sting of what he had done. Or hadn't done.

Elsa helped him onto the shivering horse. "You're already frozen," she stated flatly, "And I would never throw you overboard. Sitron, if you keep moving you won't feel as cold."

"You d-d-don't t-t-tell him what to do. I d-d-do," he commanded. She shook her head and hopped on in front of him, pulling up Olaf and Eliana in turn. "G-g-go Sitron…" Hans muttered weakly. Sitron didn't hear him.

"Go, Sitron!" Elsa shouted more loudly. Sitron sprinted off as ice formed in front of them. Hans was too cold to be annoyed. Elsa concentrated, her eyebrows furrowed, to ensure that they were provided with a firm surface at every step. Sitron almost tumbled off the ice a few times, but at last they were able to escape the treacherous waves and the sea was calm enough that she could transform it into a vast, hilly ice rink. The sky was clearer now, and the stars, the moon, and the northern lights reflected on the surface, illuminating their path. But Elsa didn't slow down to admire them.

"I'm so t-t-tired," Hans mumbled, leaning weakly on Elsa's shoulder, "I think I m-m-might just d-d-doze off for a bit..."

"No, Hans!" Elsa shouted, "Do _not_ go to sleep. Keep wiggling your toes and fingers. Faster, Sitron!"

"But I c-c-can't," Hans muttered dazedly, "I can't f-f-feel them."

"Olaf," she huffed, "Do you think you can take the reins for a bit?"

"Well," Olaf stuttered, holding out his arms in a shrug, "I can try, but-" Elsa threw the reins into his hands, throwing him off guard. She pulled off Hans' gloves, tossed them aside, and vigorously rubbed his fingers between hers while breathing warm air onto them.

"Stay awake, Hans," she insisted.

Silence.

"Hans!" she cried in panic, rubbing his fingers more rapidly.

"Mmhmm…"

"Don't go to sleep! Talk to me."

"Mmmhmm," he grunted.

"Tell me about...The Southern Isles. What does it look like?"

"N-n-noooooo…"

"No?" she panted.

"It's awf-f-ful," he mumbled drunkenly, "Ugly. Everyth-th-thing is ugly. The t-t-trees are ugly, the c-c-castle is ugly, the p-p-people are ugly..." Elsa could still feel him shivering, which was a good sign, but they weren't going to make it to shore in time. Hans was going to freeze to death first. Her mind went in a state of panic as she searched for a solution.

"Why is it ugly?" she continued calmly, panning the scene for something. Anything besides ice and emptiness.

"B-b-because. They all h-h-hate me."

"The trees hate you too?" Then she spotted it. An island? A ship? Some kind of animal?

"Y-y-yes. They all hate m-m-me."

"This way, Sitron!" she shouted, kicking the horse in the sides with her heels. She let go of Hans' hands for a moment, took the reins from Olaf, and directed Sitron in the direction of the shadowy object. She didn't know what it was, but at least it was something. She handed the reins back to Olaf and took Hans' hands in hers again. It felt like they weren't getting any closer to it, no matter how fast she urged Sitron to go. She concentrated more, making the ice thicker and spread further until she heard the crack of freezing wood. They got closer and the figment turned into an enormous, abandoned cargo ship leaning heavily to the port side. On further inspection it was heavily charred, the evidence of a fire that had driven the crew members off board. Somehow it was still afloat. The masts were almost all gone and the sails were nonexistent. Elsa created a ramp and Sitron hesitantly made his way up and down into the immobile ship.

Olaf and Eliana jumped off and Elsa struggled to get Hans to come down with her. She was able to just barely land on two feet, but he slipped off with a thump and they both fell to the ground. "Olaf!" Elsa shouted, "Try and find something we can use to get him warm! Lanterns, matches, blankets, dry clothes, anything!" Olaf saluted her, took Eliana's hand, and they waddled away. Elsa pulled Hans up as best as she could, holding one of his arms around her shoulders, Sitron following closely behind whimpering and shivering. They limped along, tripping over splintered wooden boards and fallen ropes as she scanned the darkness. "Fingers and toes, Hans," she muttered, "Keep wiggling your fingers and toes."

"Your h-h-hair," he mumbled weakly, "It's sp-p-parkly." Without stopping, Elsa reached up to feel that her matted hair was covered in ice. She looked up and saw that his was in the same state, and she grew more anxious. She dragged him around looking for the entrance to the lower deck when all at once she heard the crack of wood and the floor disappeared beneath them. They landed with a thud on the ground below where they were surrounded by the crew's empty bunks. Elsa groaned in pain and rubbed her head.

"S-S-Sitron!" Hans cried, crawling to the horse, "Are y-y-you o-k-k-kay?" Sitron whinnied in assent.

Elsa growled at him and he understood.

"Oh...are you o-k-k-kay t-t-too?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she muttered. Still massaging her head, she brought Hans to his feet and scoured the room for a bunk that wasn't scorched. He attempted weakly to do the same, but only succeeded in taking a few steps before the shivering and chattering of teeth took over.

Once she found one, she yanked Hans by the sleeve, closed her eyes, and attempted to remove his frozen coat and shirt. Frost crawled up his sleeves. "Wh-wh-whoa, what are y-y-you-" Hans started. She retracted her hands as Sitron jumped in front of him with an unappreciative huff.

"Out of the way, Sitron," she ordered shoving the horse aside. Hans couldn't move. Taking in a deep breath and closing her eyes again, she speedily unbuttoned Hans' coat and shirt and tossed them aside. Sitron snickered. She tore off his boots and socks in turn and then threw him under the smoky blankets of the bunk. She stripped all the untouched beds and heaped every musty blanket on top of him except for two that she plopped on Sitron's back. Sitron slumped to the ground and huddled under them.

"Fingers and toes," she repeated, perusing the area for dry clothes.

"Yes, m-m-mother," he obeyed, "Aren't you c-c-cold?"

"I'm the Ice Queen," she panted, "Remember?"

"O-o-oh y-y-yeah…" he breathed back with a small laugh.

"Olaf!" Elsa shouted above, "Did you find anything?"

No response. She bit her lip and continued searching underneath and above the mattresses on all levels. There was just enough light coming from the broken ceiling to navigate her way around. At last she came across a white shirt that may or may not have been clean. Throwing it at Hans she said, "Here, put this on." He weakly obeyed and then crawled under the blankets again.

She then found an abandoned gray satchel and emptied out the contents. The smell was so atrocious it superseded the scent of the burnt wood. It was too dark so she ran each object in her hands to decipher them: a compass, crusty old bread, cheese maybe? A canteen, some money, a map, a fork, a smoke pipe, and some sort of scrub brush.

She turned around to see Hans staring at her. "What?" she growled.

"Nothing," he responded looking away, "I'm a lot warmer now."

"That's good," she said, running the scrub brush through her hands. She felt a long, rubbery cord at the end, looked down, and saw a rat. She screamed and it encased itself in ice right before she threw it across the room, hitting Hans directly in the face and bouncing onto the bed.

"Ouch!" he cried, sitting up and massaging his face.

Elsa covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry!" she laughed.

He looked down and gasped. He flung it by the end of its tail and it hit her in the shoulder. He proceeded to laugh. "Be sure not to eat it all at once," he joked, "Save some of it for later."

She growled, formed a snowball, and pitched it effortlessly at his face.

"Ugh!" he shouted, grabbing a pillow and chucking it at her.

"No!" She stood up, dodging it just barely, and threw another snowball at him. He blocked it with a second pillow and then threw it at her. This time it hit her, causing her to step back slightly. She huffed, picked it up and started for him, but he shot up, dragging one of the blankets and putting it over his shoulders. Securing the blanket with one hand, he used the other to try and pull the pillow from her hand. Losing his grip on the blanket, she pulled it off and started whipping him with it.

"Uhhh…" They saw an orange light and heard a voice above them. They froze and looked up ashamedly, pillows and blankets still raised above their heads. Olaf was holding a lantern and peering at them from the hole in the ceiling. Both he and Eliana were dragging several bags that laid limply on the ground. Eliana giggled.

"Hey…" Elsa waved embarrassedly. Hans dropped the pillow and stole the blanket back, wrapping it around his head. "We were just...um…" Elsa began, "Are you warmer now, Hans?"

He didn't answer, but he addressed Olaf and tattled, "She hit me with a rat so I hit her back."

"I didn't do it on purpose!" she insisted, "And I apologized!"

"And then she threw a snowball at me."

"You hit me back first!" she argued, "On purpose! I was just defending myself!"

"Now, now, children," Olaf interjected, sliding down a broken floorboard and waddling over to them Eliana followed close behind. "Sitron," he scolded, pointing a finger at the horse, "I'm never going to trust you to keep an eye on them ever again." Sitron frowned in shame. "Look!" Olaf continued dragging the bags over to them, "There's so much stuff lying around I don't even know what to do with it!" He tore open the bundles and hovered a lantern over it.

"Olaf, you're melting," Elsa warned, taking the lantern away. Inside the bag she found some money, food and clothes that were somewhat covered in soot, but still usable.

"Thank you Olaf! You're the best! Hans, here's some-" she stopped upon noticing Hans sitting downcast on the bunk, the blanket still wrapped around his head. She brought the lantern over to him and asked somewhat unsympathetically, "What's the problem?"

He shook his head. "I didn't save them. I could've, but I didn't. The fact just kind of hit me again."

"Who are you talking about?" Elsa inquired.

"I was too much of a coward, so I left without them."

" _Who?"_ she asked again.

"There was a little girl," he answered, "named Lilja. She was trapped in the cargo area, so I brought her up and found her mother."

"Well, that was a good thing then," Elsa encouraged.

"No," he countered, "We were hit by a wave and I lost my grip on them."

Elsa lowered her head sadly. "I'm sorry. But you did the best you could-"

"No I didn't," he stated flatly, "Just let me finish." Elsa shut her mouth. Olaf and Eliana inched their way over curiously. "I lost my grip, but I grabbed ahold of something. I don't even know what it was. When I caught my breath and was able to see, I found Sitron and got on his back and then I spotted them on the opposite side holding onto the railing. I tried to lead Sitron towards them, but then one of the masts fell over blocking our path and Sitron couldn't jump it. It put a huge hole in the floor, so I couldn't climb over it either. I would have had to go around it, but I was afraid of losing Sitron and getting dragged out to sea, so we just left them. We left them there to die."

Elsa paused for a moment, unable to speak. Finally she said, "You probably would have died too if you had gone back."

He just shook his head. "That wouldn't have been such a bad thing," he sighed.

"Don't say things like that."

"No, I mean it. Sometimes I wish I-"

"Don't say things like that!" Elsa repeated in frustration. She sat on the floor and muttered half audibly, looking away, "I used to say things like that. And I wish I hadn't." Hans, Olaf and Eliana peered at her in surprise. "I wanted...so so much to die," she continued, "But when you die, it's not just you who dies. Everyone else dies right along with you."

"But…" Hans started, "Why did you want to die?"

She looked him in the eyes as if it should have been obvious. "Because I was a monster! I was dangerous and I couldn't control my powers! Wouldn't you want to die too?"

He thought for a moment, and something occurred to him. The blanket around his head dropped to his shoulders and he uttered, "You...wanted me to kill you...didn't you?" Olaf looked at Eliana discreetly and pulled her away from the scene. He felt that this wasn't a conversation that should be overheard.

She shut her eyes and nodded, crouching on the floor with her back against the bed, her arms hugging her knees. He just gazed at her in awe. "I heard you pull out your sword," she explained, "and how grateful I was to you in that moment. Just in that one moment, though." After pausing she added, "You see, I spent thirteen years of my life hiding in the castle, wishing I was dead. I didn't interact with anyone except my parents. I stayed in my room most of the time and I wouldn't talk to anyone. Even Anna. Especially Anna. The day of my coronation, when I ran away, that was the first time I left the castle since I was eight years old."

Hans was speechless. Anna had told him the day they met that Elsa had "shut her out", but now he understood just what she meant. He remembered when he first met Elsa and just how cold and closed off she was.

"I hated myself. All I did was hurt and disappoint people. I thought that if I died no one would care or notice, but when my parents disappeared in that shipwreck, I…" Her eyes began to water. "It was so excruciatingly painful for me that I didn't want Anna to have to go through it twice. I had no choice but to go on living. For her, for the kingdom... And then when I thought I had lost her, knowing it was my fault...I can't even describe to you what that feels like."

"I had a sister," Hans informed her, "I have a bit of an idea what that feels like."

She peered at him. "Had?"

"She's dead." There was a silence and he continued, without looking at her, "I could have saved her, but I was too much of a coward."

Elsa felt a lump in her throat. "Wh-what happened?"

"I'm the youngest of thirteen horrible sons of an even more horrible father. When my mother died my father remarried. Such a little weak thing she was. She looked like she could have been sixteen. Anyway, she gave birth to my only sister. If you hadn't shipped me back to The Southern Isles I would have never met her. For that, I'm grateful to you," he chuckled. "She was the only person who ever, you know, _loved_ me."

"I'm sure that's not true," she contradicted.

"No, it is. My brother Lars was kind to me, but I wouldn't say he _loved_ me. But my sister did. She would cry all the time, except when I held her," he laughed for a moment and then grew serious again. "But when my father found out, he sent me to work on a different island and…" he paused, the memory coming back to him, "my stepmother paid dearly for letting me spend time with the baby. I overheard my father...hurting her. And I did nothing. I was about to stop him, take her and my sister and run away, but I was too afraid of what he would do to me if I faced him. So I tried to escape by myself, but I was caught anyway. I thought they would be okay, but then I received news that they had died."

"What did they die of?"

"They never found out, but I think I know. My father broke her until she lost the will to live. And she took her child with her."

"That's horrible. I'm so sorry."

"I deserved it, though. Villains never get their happy endings."

Elsa hesitated and then said, "What about Kubbergrove?"

"What about it?"

"They care about you."

"Correction, they _cared_ about me. But now they know who I am."

Elsa sighed. "When the kingdom found out who I really was and what I was capable of, I ran away thinking they would never take me back as their queen. I mean, I almost killed several people. But they forgave me and accepted me. So maybe the same could happen for you too." She smiled and he smiled back hopefully.

"Do-do you forgive me?" he uttered. She looked down. She hadn't really had the chance to think about it. Did she? She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. "It's alright," he interrupted, "I shouldn't have asked you."

Elsa wanted to respond, but she still didn't know what her answer was. Instead she said, "The Baron said that Mirella wants to kill me." Hans lowered his head in disappointment at her lack of response. "If it's true, aren't you afraid she'll kill you too? You were afraid to help those other people, but you're not afraid to help me?"

He blushed and let out a nervous laugh. "You don't want me to help you?" he asked, dodging her question.

"I do…" she answered. Then she added snarkily, "I mean, the Baron is gone. Who else would be able to help me?" Then she remembered what had happened. "I don't understand," she breathed, "why they would…"

"He wasn't supposed to warn us."

"But is that good enough reason to kill him?"

"Maybe they were following orders. I've seen people carry out crueler, less warranted orders."

Elsa shook her head in disbelief and whispered, "What kind of woman is this Mirella?"

He shrugged. "Whoever she is, it doesn't matter. You're the Ice Queen. What's the worst that she can do?"

* * *

 **Yeah, I know. Hans wouldn't have recovered from hypothermia that fast. B** **ut I kind of decided early on that I wasn't going to focus too much on being scientifically/politically/geographically correct since the world of Frozen is far from such. For example, Anna would have died or at least gotten extreme hypothermia before making it to Oaken's Sauna considering what she was wearing in such cold weather.**

 **You'll probably notice a lot of things like that in this story. For example, how did they make it all the way across Arendelle so quickly? Wouldn't they smell really bad if they didn't take a shower in so long? Stuff like that that I've thought about but decided it's not entirely crucial to address and that I can still tell the story without them.**


	13. Chapter 12: A Surprise in Kubbergrove

**Sorry friends. My excuse is that my fish died and I was really sad. She was my favorite fish. I cried a lot. RIP Charlie 2013-2016 :'(**

* * *

 _To Kari Fredriksen, Mayor of Kubbergrove_

 _My dear friend,_

 _Thank you for keeping me informed. Siggi indeed has returned and has brought Princess Anna with him. It seems he mistook her for her sister and in his panic he decided to bring her here. But I wouldn't say he is completely incompetent, because he presented me with a new plan that may be even better than the previous one. Anna has a lovely cut on her arm and she despises Elsa so much now, it's almost too perfect._

 _It's safe to say that Elsa is probably looking for her, so I sent Gunni to lead her in the right direction and then we will go from there. It's so like her to abandon her people to go off on some silly quest, but it works perfectly for us. I hope she arrives sooner rather than later, as the eruption is very close at hand. Unfortunately we won't have the pleasure to witness her turn against her people, but you are a politician and I trust you will be able to turn them against her. Especially now that she's conspiring with Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. More proof that she is the traitor I always knew she was. I'm sure no one will miss her when she's dead since she was hardly there to begin with._

 _I remain your good friend,_

 _Mirella, Queen Consort of the Northwestern Isle and rightful Queen of Arendelle_

* * *

"Sven, what's wrong?"

The reindeer didn't respond. Simply stood angrily in his pen facing the wall, his nose in the air.

"Come one, Sven, don't be like this. _I won't talk to a crazy person!_ I'm not crazy! You're the only one who still sides with her. _Nuh uh, Olliver agrees with me!_ " Kristoff huffed. "Well fine!" he shouted, "Who needs you?!" He threw the carrots he was holding at Sven's rear and stormed off. Sven didn't even turn around to sniff them.

Kristoff didn't have time to argue with his unloyal steed. He had to meet with Kari about their next excursion. He had tried and tried to explain to Sven that Elsa had once again betrayed the kingdom. She apologized for abandoning them and turning the entire nation to ice, but she had run away once again, and with Prince Hans no less. He was so angry and he didn't know why, but all of his frustration felt perfectly reasonable in his mind. And the people of Arendelle were almost as outraged as he was. He felt like everything was hers and Anna's fault, even if it wasn't. He and Kari were putting their heads together to keep Arendelle in order before their true queen arrived, and they were doing a better job than Elsa could ever do.

He arrived in the office that Elsa had once occupied where he encountered Kari rummaging through some papers looking rather miffed. Upon seeing Kristoff enter the room he stuffed the papers back into the drawer from which they had come and slammed it shut.

"Hello friend!" Kari exclaimed, feeling around the desk for something.

"Good morning," Kristoff responded, "What's that there?" He pointed to the drawer.

"Oh nothing." He grabbed ahold of a small key, inserted it into the drawer's keyhole, and twisted it with a click. "Just some census records."

"Hmmm," Kristoff muttered with disinterest, "Where are we headed now?"

"Well, we've pretty much covered the surrounding areas, so I thought we'd pay a little visit to my wife in Kubbergrove."

"Why is your wife still in Kubbergrove? Why didn't she come with you?"

"Oh, well, you know. Business like this can be somewhat tedious for a fragile old woman like her. I told her she would be more useful there and that I would be home once my business here is complete."

"Will you stay there once we're there?" Kristoff inquired with trepidation. He didn't want to be left to govern the country by himself.

"Oh no, of course not! It's just one stop in our tour. They should be easy to convince. Elsa was just there with Prince Hans."

Kristoff shrugged. "Well then, when do we leave?"

"Everything is ready to go, so as soon as possible, I suppose." Then he added, "And who knows? Maybe we will find your sleigh along the way."

Kristoff grinned.

* * *

Kubbergrove wasn't quite the same as it was just a few days ago. Sure, it looked the same. The sun still rose and set each day, the flowers still grew, children still played tag and hide and seek, the miners still went to work, and the women still washed clothes and gossipped about the neighbors. But to Lynn, there were two large gaping holes left behind. The first hole was her husband's absence. She wasn't worried about how the village would run itself without him, but rather she was concerned that something would happen to him. She had no idea what business he had at the palace. She assumed it had something to do with finding Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, but why wouldn't he give her more details? Why wouldn't he let her help? What if he got attacked by wolves? What if he got sick? What if he didn't eat enough meals? She wasn't there to cook for him, nurse him, heal his wounds, or guide him.

The second gaping hole was the absence of Lars. No, _Prince Hans._ She shuddered at the name, but she was still unable to associate the two identities together. In her mind, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles was a pompous, elegantly dressed rat with long, greasy black hair, yellow crooked teeth, a hunched back, and long bony fingers. Lars, however, was a gentle and kind young man with bright eyes, a cheerful smile, and open arms ready to work and serve the people. She had only known him for a few months, but she felt like she had known him for much longer. He was her third son, simple as that. In her mind he had merely moved away to make a new life for himself, just like her other two sons had done. He wasn't trying to run away from any guards or soldiers. He never did anything wrong. He never tried to kill anyone. He hadn't just kidnapped Queen Elsa.

She sighed and wiped the wisps of curly black hair off her rosy, sweat-streaked face. She tried to focus her thoughts on the wet clothes she was hanging on the line, but she felt like she was going mad with worry for Lars, the queen, and for her husband.

"Mrs. Fredriksen!" a cheerful voice behind her called out. She turned around to see a tall, thin, pale woman with graying blond hair leaning over the wooden fence. By her side was a morose looking young woman who was equally thin and pale.

"Mrs. Pedersen!" Lynn exclaimed, "How are you this morning?"

"Doing well. Can't say the same about Oona, though."

Lynn turned to the shy young woman, "Cheer up, Oona. There are plenty of other handsome young men around here." Oona blushed.

"Lars, I mean Prince Hans, dealt very cruelly with my poor Oona. Not only did he forget to mention that he was a treacherous murderer-"

"He didn't actually murder anyone…" Lynn interrupted.

"So you're defending him?!" Mrs. Pedersen cried in shock.

"No," Lynn clarified, "I'm not defending him. Just stating a fact."

"Well," she sighed, "anyways, we were confident that any day he would stop by and ask Mr. Pedersen for her hand..." Lynn rolled her eyes. Mrs. Pedersen had been telling the whole town that Lars was going to ask for her daughter's hand not even a week after he arrived. "He made his intentions towards her very clear-"

"I'm sure he did."

"-when he kept making great eyes at her, dancing with her at every event..."

"Don't you think it's a relief that Prince Hans is not your son-in-law?"

"Well I-" Mrs. Pedersen stuttered, "I mean, of course, but…"

Lynn decided to change the subject. "So where are you off to now in your best dress?"

"To the town hall. Aren't you coming?"

"For what?"

Mrs. Pedersen put her hand to her chest, "Don't you know? I thought you of all people would know."

"Know what?"

"Well, that Mayor Fredriksen is back!"

"WHAT?!" Lynn didn't even bother to get changed. She removed her apron, wiped the sweat from her face with it, and tossed it aside. She hiked up her skirt so as not to trip in her haste and followed Oona and Mrs. Pedersen down the lane. Lynn was disappointed that he hadn't stopped by the house first, but it didn't matter because he was back and he was safe.

There was quite a bit of commotion at the town hall. People were piling in and by the time they entered there was nowhere to sit. Lynn wondered how she knew nothing about this meeting, but it was no matter. She left Mrs. Pedersen's side and scrambled her way towards the front where Kari was sitting behind the podium. There was a tall, well-built young man with blonde hair sitting next to him. He was elegantly dressed and his hair was combed back neatly, but his expression was blank and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"My love!" Lynn cried out to her husband. He didn't hear her. She tried again, this time waving an arm in the air. "Kari, my dear!" This time he merely glanced in her direction and nodded. Lynn blew a lock of frizzy black hair out of her eyes. Typical Kari. On important occasions such as this she hardly existed. At the end of the day, however, when all his work was done, he was the perfect doting husband. A woman sitting in the front row spotted Lynn, shooed her husband out of the seat next to her, and invited her to sit. Lynn accepted it graciously and bowed in apology to the woman's husband. Lynn observed Kari whispering intently to his companion. The young man listened and then gawked at him in alarm, shaking his head frantically. Kari nodded in response and patted him on the shoulder as if to encourage him. The young man continued to shake his head, his face turning white, as Kari stood to silence the audience. They ceased their whispers and gave their full attention.

"My friends!" he cried, raising his arms in greeting, "It is so good to be back here. My journey to Arendelle palace was long and arduous, but all for a good cause. You would be correct in supposing that my trip was related to the startling events that occurred here not too long ago, including the kidnapping of Queen Elsa. I will only be here for a short time, but I wanted to speak to you all in order to assure you that all is well and that this kingdom is safe." There were few sighs of relief. "I'd first like to introduce my friend to you, a representative of Arendelle palace and a personal friend of Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. He is more qualified to speak to you on the matter than I am. May I present, Mr. Kristoff Bjorgman."

Everyone applauded feebly as Kristoff took over the stand. "Umm…" he began apprehensively, waving to everyone with his fingers, "Hi, my name is Kristoff Bjorgman and...uh...I've been asked to speak on the topic of Queen Elsa." He twisted around to look at Kari and Kari gave him a reassuring nod. Kristoff faced the audience again, tired and red in the face. As he did, Lynn crouched down and tiptoed her way sneakily towards her husband.

"Lynn!" Kari whispered, "You're not supposed to be up here! Go back and sit with your friend."

"No," she retorted, "I want to sit here next to my husband who I haven't seen in days. Now tell me, is Queen Elsa alright?"

"Hush and listen!"

Kristoff lifted his head up and continued, "As the mayor said, the kingdom is being kept safe while Queen Elsa is missing. We're hoping that things will...continue this way."

Lynn started to sense that something was wrong. "But do you know where she is?" she whispered to Kari.

"I think we have an idea," he informed, "But just listen."

"Elsa, we can say, is safe," Kristoff announced, as if reading Lynn's mind. "Whether she is in good hands is another question. Elsa was kidnapped by Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, right?" The villagers nodded in assent and concern. " _Wrong_!" he shouted with a finger in the air. The crowd went silent with shock, listening intently. "She went with him _willingly_. You see, when Elsa was here, she was overheard discussing plans to preserve the throne of Arendelle that _isn't actually hers_." Gasps. "And she _knows_ it's not hers." More gasps.

Lynn, however, merely snorted, "What nonsense," she mumbled, putting her arm through her husband's, "Don't you think?"

"Yes, it is completely unbelievable," he responded flatly.

"Well, aren't you going to say something then?"

"Well yes, I suppose I should." He stood and joined Kristoff at his side. "Thank you, Kristoff, may I add something?"

"Sure…" Kristoff took a step back.

"Thank you." Then addressing the crowd he bellowed, "The person who overheard their conversation was myself." Lynn's mouth fell open as he elaborated. "They were in the main stables by the town square..." He pointed towards the back door and everyone looked behind them as if they would be able to see the stable through the solid walls. Now that Lynn thought about it, she remembered Kari leaving to go "attend to some business" after Lars, no Hans, and Elsa left to talk in private "...discussing how to assassinate the true Queen of Arendelle, who is on the verge of returning. She said…" he paused for a moment and continued, "And I am paraphrasing slightly, 'I am the Queen of Arendelle and I know how to rule this kingdom better than she does.'" There were several more gasps of disbelief. Lynn couldn't process what she was hearing. "We believe that they have discovered her whereabouts and are on their way there as we speak."

"As for Princess Anna," Kristoff interrupted, "Her so called kidnapping was faked, giving Elsa an excuse to go on a quest to supposedly 'rescue' her."

"Ah yes," Kari muttered to Kristoff, "I forgot about that one." Then more loudly he continued, "This we learned from a series of correspondence between Elsa and Prince Hans, found by Mr. Bjorgman in Elsa's office." Kristoff held up some slightly wrinkled, creased papers, fixing his eyes on the back of the room. Lynn sat at the edge of her seat as if preparing to snatch the letters from his hand and examine them herself.

Kari then recounted the history of King Eberhard and his family, as he had explained it to so many other people, after which Kristoff added, "Elsa is a monster and has no interest in the people of this kingdom. I know her personally and she is unfeeling, dangerous, and a traitor." The audience reacted just as Kari had anticipated. There were roars of abhorrence and disgust. Some women were even shedding tears while the few children sat bewildered in their laps.

"But don't worry," Kristoff continued, "The kingdom is safe and we are doing what it takes to…" he looked at Kari, unable to find the correct word.

"Contain her," Kari finished, "and bring back Queen Mirella."

Lynn spotted Abbie and Hilde in the back of the room. Hilde was whispering to her mother with concern, but her mother didn't respond, her face bright red with disdain. Lynn couldn't decide how she felt about this. She thought she had come to know Lars, no Hans, well enough to tell if he was deceiving them. She wasn't very perceptive, but she knew a good, honorable person when she met one. The knowledge that her husband had been against both of them this whole time without saying anything outraged her. She stood, took hold of his arm, and pulled him aside.

"My dear, are you listening to what you are saying?"

"I know very well what I'm saying."

"I don't think you do. This...boy here..." She pointed at Kristoff, "is corrupting you."

"On the contrary, my love," he explained, "I am the one who brought him here."

"Why-why are you doing this?"

"Because I care about you," he answered in hushed tones, peering at her, "And I care about the people of Arendelle, especially Kubbergrove. Elsa is dangerous and that no-good Prince Hans has been deceiving, bewitching, and leeching off of these people for months."

"I don't think so," Lynn retorted, "I think he's changed. I don't think he has any desire to rule a kingdom."

"See? He's tricked you too."

"How can he overtake a kingdom while working in the mines of Kubbergrove?" Then noticing the crumpled papers in Kristoff's hand she added, "Let me see those letters. I want to read them for myself."

"Lynn, I think it's time for you to go home." Kari quickly led her off the stage and returned to Kristoff's side. She didn't fight him. She realized that there was nothing she could do to convince him or the people. There was something else to all this. There had to be some other motive for acting this way besides just reinstating the rightful queen. She could also tell that this wasn't a mere misunderstanding. He _knew_ what he was saying about Queen Elsa wasn't true.

After giving a few final words and dismissing the gathering, Kari turned to Kristoff, patted him on the shoulder with a smile, and Kristoff stared back at him blankly.

The villagers slowly trickled out, and many people gathered around Lynn throwing question after question at her. "Did you know about this?" "Why did you allow them into your home?" But she didn't acknowledge any of them. Instead she shuffled back to Kari's side.

"Will you at least come home and eat dinner?" she pleaded, "You can bring your friend."

Kari turned away, rolling his eyes, and then smiled at her. "No, but thank you my dear," he said, "We have to return to the palace."

"But why? Why do you have to watch over all of Arendelle? Let him do it." She motioned to Kristoff who stared back at her flatly.

"Lynn, go home."

"No. Not until-"

"Go home!" he shouted.

Lynn, frightened and shocked, pivoted around defeatedly and joined the crowd, tears forming in her eyes. A thought occurred to her, and she searched the throng for Mrs. Pedersen and her daughter. If there was anyone who would side with her, it would be Oona Pedersen, Lars' long time admirer.

"Oona!" Lynn cried when she spotted the young woman. She waded through the mass and took her arm in hers, "Oona, my dear!"

Oona turned to her bashfully and uttered, "Mrs. Fredriksen…"

"Oona," she repeated, placing a hand on the girl's lanky shoulder, "You don't believe any of this, do you? You know that Lars is a good man. You think he's redeemed, right?"

Oona didn't look into her eyes. "His name is Hans," she corrected feebly, "And he isn't redeemable."

* * *

Thank you everyone for the reviews you've given me. I read every one and take every one into account, but I want to make something clear. **I do not and will not take dictation from my readers.** I appreciate tips on how to improve my style and characterizations, but as far as where the story goes and what happens to the characters, that is up to me and me alone (well, that is, except the writers of Frozen 2, but you get my point). Please keep that in mind when posting feedback. Love ya lots.


	14. Chapter 13: The Northwestern Isle

**I said this at the end of the previous chapter, but I'm going to repeat it here because no one reads the end notes. I DO NOT AND WILL NOT TAKE DICTATION. The plot and the ending of the story are already decided. I appreciate feedback on how to improve my writing style and characterizations, but it's not going to change the direction I'm going with the characters. The end.**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Northwestern Isle

That same morning, a few miles to the west, Hans awoke with a mighty pain in his side. When he peeked out of the mass of blankets he found that he was laying on the hard, splintery wooden floor. How he had gotten there he didn't know. Rubbing his side and groaning as he sat up, he peered to his left and saw the sunlight shining angelically on Elsa, who was laying spread-eagle on one of the bunks snoring like a freight train. He couldn't help but chuckle. He shuffled across the floor on his knees, blankets still around him, and poked her in the shin. She let out a snort.

"Your majesty…" he whispered apprehensively. In response, she tossed herself over to face the other direction. He poked her again in the calf. "Your majesty," he repeated.

She let out a dry, sleepy gasp followed by a long, airy squeal. "What?!"

"We should get going."

She stretched her arms above her head and let out a high pitched, "Nooooo..."

"No?"

"No," she corrected, sitting up.

"No we shouldn't get going? Should I go back to sleep then?" he asked.

"No!" she repeated, "I meant no, we shouldn't not get going. I was just making my stretching noise."

"Your stretching noise?" he laughed.

"Yes. 'Noooo.' It's my stretching noise."

Hans didn't know that such a thing existed or what purpose it served. "Okay then," he noted with a smirk, "You have something on your mouth, by the way."

She brought her hand to the corner of her mouth where something wet was inching it's way down. She blushed and turned away as she wiped it off. Hans snickered, stood up, and searched the room for more supplies. Elsa peered at him to make sure he wasn't watching before inspecting the damage that had come to her hair. She unpinned what was left of her crown of braids, ran them through her fingers, and began to braid it again to the side until Hans interrupted her.

"You should leave your hair down," he uttered.

"Huh?" She glanced up to find him gazing at her.

He shrugged. "It-It looks nice that way."

She observed her wavy blond locks, surprised at the compliment and unsure whether to receive it or not. She sighed before finishing the braid. "It's easier to manage like this."

"Oh...hmm.." he responded in assent with a nod.

She couldn't decipher what his motive was in it, so she gave up and instead assisted him in gathering more useful items for the rest of their journey. Upon finding herself in an empty room she looked at her reflection in a dingy window and shuddered at her ripped, grime-cloaked dress. _Sorry Miss Pedersen,_ she thought. It needed to be replaced, but for some reason it was harder for her in that particular moment to choose a design. Should she wear something sedate and traditional or something a little more regal? She wanted it to be elegant, but not too flashy. She finally decided to go with something traditional, but with a splash of color. Blue? No, green? No, somewhere in between the two? And what about the neckline? A high or a low one? A lower one. But not too low. With three-quarter length sleeves. And flowers? Maybe a few…

"Queen Elsa?" Hans called.

"Um...just a minute!" she responded. She peered again at her reflection. It would have to do. But why did it matter? She decided to add a small finishing touch: a silver chain with a ice-jeweled snowflake pendant.

She made her way back into the other room, straightening a few wrinkles, where Hans was shuffling around holding a few sacks. "Have you seen Olaf and Eli-" he trailed off when he pivoted around to see her.

She blushed and gazed at his expression with trepidation. "Um...I just thought I should-Is it too much?"

"Uh…" he began, "No, it's...fine."

"You hesitated," Olaf interrupted, peeping through the doorway.

Hans' mouth gaped open at him. "No, I mean it. She looks beautiful. I mean pretty. I mean..." Elsa blushed and Hans did as well, scratching his beard before running his fingers through his hair, "I mean...it's nice."

Elsa laughed. "Thank you."

Hans smiled in embarrassment and examined his own atrocious appearance. His coat and pants were torn and covered in mud "Uh…I'm going to change too." He ran from the room carrying all the sacks draped over his shoulder.

It seemed like forever before he returned with a clean shirt, vest and coat, a grey scarf, and black pants. The coat was a little too tight and the pants a little too loose, but it was the neatest thing he could find. His boots were still heinously dirty, but they fit.

As the sun rose higher, the air grew slightly warmer, so Elsa lined more blankets with ice and wrapped them around Olaf Eliana before they mounted Sitron and made their way to shore.

"How are we going to find our way to Reykjaford now without Gunnwald?" Elsa asked as they rode in the opposite direction of the sunrise.

"I know that it's somewhere on the southeastern coast. So we won't be far from it when we arrive."

"That's very vague," Elsa spouted.

"We'll ask for directions."

They arrived on an abandoned dock with only a few turf-covered houses dotting the hills in the distance. To the south was a quaint fishing village a bit smaller than Kubbergrove. It was surrounded by green hills set at the foot of snowcapped mountains, and...Hans hadn't lied. The sand _was_ black.

"Look!" Hans exclaimed, pointing north.

"What?" she squinted behind them but wasn't sure what she was supposed to be looking for.

"See the smoke?" Sure enough, there was a grey cloud hovering over a black mountain that stood separate from the others, tall and magnificent.

"Mt. Eldurogis," Hans informed, "Isn't she a beauty?" Elsa had to admit it. It was rather impressive. "I never thought I'd get to see it in person," he ranted, "It's even more amazing than the landscapes I've seen in Lars' books." He sighed. "And it's supposed to have some kind of magic."

"What kind of magic?"

"It didn't say. Maybe you throw a coin in and it grants you a wish," he chuckled, "What would you wish for?"

"That my sister is safe," Elsa answered without hesitation.

"Oh yeah. I shouldn't have asked."

"What about you? What would you wish for?"

"I guess," he started, pondering for a moment, "I don't know. There are lots of things I would wish for." Elsa was about to ask if ruling a kingdom was one of them, but she resisted. "But did you know that it erupts at the same exact time _every three years?_ " he continued, "Without fail."

"What year are we on now?" Elsa asked.

"Actually, I don't know…"

"And on what day?"

"I'm-I'm not sure…" Hans felt rather sheepish.

"Hopefully not any time soon."

"I highly doubt it," he assured her, "What are the odds that it would erupt now? One in-what, over a thousand?"

* * *

There was quite a bit of hustle and bustle as they arrived in the harbor. Elsa covered her nose as men shouted and passed along crates and barrels of fish. They quickly arrived at a market where shoppers had arrived bright and early to snatch up the most flawless, freshest specimen for that night's family meal. Fish merchants shoved various items in the villagers' faces as they carefully examined them and exchanged offers. It was a sight Elsa found very intriguing and entertaining.

"Only ten pieces for this mighty guy!" someone shouted in Elsa's ear, holding an enormous brown trout in front of her nose, "Freshly caught only an hour ago!"

"No thank you," Elsa declined with a polite wave of the hand.

"How about eight?" he offered, "Enough to feed you, your husband, and the little ones for a week!"

"He's not my-"

"Can you tell us the best way to get to Reykjaford?" Hans interrupted, stepping in front of Elsa.

"Oh, not from around here, eh?" the merchant observed, putting the heavy fish down, "I'll tell you...but you need to make a purchase first."

"What? That's absurd," Hans retorted.

"I'll tell you what," the man whispered. He glanced slyly to the left, and then to the right before leaning in towards Hans. Hans hesitantly turned his ear towards him. "I'll make you a small exception, but don't tell anyone. I'll give you two of my largest trout for only fifteen pieces and then I'll tell you how to get to Reykjaford. Nobody else will give you an offer like that in a million years."

"But we don't even need one, let alone two!" Hans snapped.

"Then beat it!" the man cried, leaning back and waving them away with the back of his hand.

"But we need directions!" Hans looked around at the rest of the crowd, but no even glanced his way let alone offer help.

"Well I just need to feed a family, and you're wasting my time! Who do you think you are anyways?"

"You see this young woman here?" Hans asked, pointing to Elsa, "This is Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and she has things to do, places to go, and people to see!"

"Hans, don't!" Elsa whispered, putting a finger to her lips, but it was too late. The crowd began to grow silent as they peered at the four of them. And they didn't seem pleased. Hans immediately realized that he had made a mistake.

"Queen Elsa?" the fisherman sneered, "Of Arendelle? Where did you get the gall-" Suddenly a colleague hopped over to him and whispered something in his ear hurriedly, his eyes fixed on Elsa and Hans. Elsa fiddled with her necklace as she felt ice crawl down from her fingertips to her wrists.

"Your majesty," Hans muttered, gently taking her by the elbow, "we should go." The ice on Elsa's hands instantly settled, but she didn't move. She was too curious.

Still peering at Elsa and Hans, the fish merchant stood up straight and smiled as his friend scurried away. "My apologies," he said with a bow, "I was thinking of...someone else." Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Welcome to the Northwestern Isle!" Hans shifted his gaze to the other merchant who was making long strides down the road, glancing back at them occasionally. Once he came close to the intersection, he broke out into a run and turned the corner. Elsa spotted it too.

"It's such an honor to have you here," the merchant exclaimed, "How about we...show you around? The mayor would be very glad to meet you."

"I don't know…" Elsa began.

"What...brings you to Reykjaford?"

"Well-"

"Who are you here to see?"

"That's classified diplomatic business," Hans snapped. Elsa nodded in assent.

"And who are you?" the merchant asked, eyeing Hans.

"Queen Elsa, let's go," Hans urged her.

"Right," she agreed, and they pivoted away, Hans pulling Sitron along. Olaf and Eliana trailed behind discreetly. They traipsed nonchalantly down the lane when behind them they heard a whinny. Hans spun around and spotted three horsemen in blue jackets holding out long swords.

Elsa didn't notice however. Instead she was struck by the half-audible words somewhere to her right, "Are they here to assassinate the queen?"

"Who is trying to assassinate me..." Elsa uttered, searching for the voice.

"I think," Hans said directing her gaze to the angry guards and placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, "that _you're_ the assassin."

" _What?!"_

"Quick!" Hans shouted. As the guards rode towards them the four of them climbed onto Sitron's back and fled down the cobblestone road. Shoppers cried out and pinned themselves to the merchants' stands, clearing the way for the chase. Hans searched for the narrowest alley he could find and pulled the reins in that direction. Being too tight for all three guards to squeeze through, two of them looked for a detour while the remaining one continued the direct pursuit.

"I don't understand what's going on!" Elsa shouted in Hans' ear.

"I don't think you're very popular here," Hans panted as Sitron made a sharp right. Elsa held on to him more tightly.

"Well, obviously, but why?" Elsa asked, "What did I do?" She suddenly remembered what Gunnwald had said about Queen Mirella. Why did she hate her so much? So much so that all the people of this town hated her too? Or all the people of the Northwestern Isle even?

"You're freezing my coat!" Hans cried.

"Oh, sorry!" Elsa responded, loosening her grip slightly. But when they made their way down the dock where fishermen were unpacking the last of their daily catch, a few dropped their crates in alarm, spilling fish all over the ground. The two horses slipped and slid across the grimy surface and Elsa lost her hold.

"Woah!" she exclaimed, beginning to fall backwards. Hans reached one hand back, grabbed her arm, and wrapped it snuggly around his waist.

"You can freeze me if you want," he laughed, "I deserve it anyways."

Elsa made no answer, but merely clenched her fists so as to lessen the affect. She turned her head slightly to the side and saw out of the corner of her eye that the other two guards were catching up to them. She reached out her free hand and formed an ice rink along the dock. The horses behind them slid to a stop, just barely maintaining their hooves' grip to the ground. The guards tried to urge them forward, but they wouldn't budge. Sitron, nearing the end of the tiny village, turned to the left, climbing a narrow pathway up a hill. Elsa slickened the entire area behind them, and the ice crawled over some turf-covered red-washed houses. The inhabitants burst out their doors, and when they saw Elsa they shouted foreign obscenities, fists in the air with rage.

"Sorry!" she apologized weakly, raising a hand in pardon, and an icicle shot into the air, impaling the barn next door. She slapped her hand to her mouth in humiliation. Returning to repair the damage wasn't an option at this point, so she just hoped with all her might that somehow this wouldn't make them hate her more than they already did.

The fishing town began to disappear in the distance as the dirt road climbed over rolling green hills. But to Elsa's dismay the guards had found another path and were quickly approaching. And this time they had reinforcements.

"Look!" Elsa cried. Sitron halted for a moment as Hans twisted his head around. "Go faster!" Elsa shouted. Hans brandished his sword just in case and urged Sitron to quicken his strides. Elsa formed snowballs and began launching them at them, enlisting the help of Olaf and Eliana. They had surprisingly good aim, especially Eliana.

"Right in the face!" Olaf shouted underneath his disguise, "Well done!"

"Why thank you," Eliana giggled. However, it only made the rider more angry, and the horse ran faster. They approached a long fence and Sitron leaped over it with ease into a field of cabbages. The closest guard bounded after, but the black horse stumbled, launching his owner face first into a pile of mud. The other horses, upon witnessing the event, halted to a stop in fear. Elsa, Hans, Sitron and the snow people escaped the fenced in area just in time, right before the farmer entered the scene. He spotted the guard tumbling over his precious cabbages and he screamed in exasperation, chasing him with a hoe back out the way he came.

"Good job, Sitron!" Elsa cheered, patting the horse's rear. Sitron whinnied with pride.

"Our favorite pastime," Hans explained, "Jumping practice. Good distraction." But then after thinking for a moment, he began, "But it's only a matter of time before they…"

His eye caught on a large rock with an opening and he led Sitron in its direction to explore it. What he expected to be a small cavity became a narrow sloping entry to a cave. Hans slowly dismounted the horse, pulling Elsa and the snow people after. Elsa and Hans glanced over their shoulders in unison to be sure no one was coming and proceeded forward. The cave was lit to some degree up ahead by a dim blue glow.

Hans pulled out a lantern and ignited it with a match. As he did, it revealed a thick layer of icicles covering the walls. They moved forward a few yards and the size of the space increased to about that of a large cathedral. They peered up and above them was a magnificent blue ceiling that seemed as though it was made of the waves of an ocean. It was so high that it reached out of the rocks and towards the sun revealing the source of the illumination. Upon further observation, Elsa started to notice something very peculiar. The ice along the walls was very smooth, symmetrical, and carefully formed. Almost as if…

"You guys..." she began. Olaf and Eliana regarded it too. Hans and Sitron, however, didn't hear her, but were instead gazing at the ceiling in awe. The lantern hung uselessly at Hans side. "Hans!" she shouted.

"What?" he responded.

"Look!" She pointed at the walls which circled the room. Arches formed up the walls and towards the ceiling, coming back down again in thick columns. Each arch was a perfectly equal distance apart and exactly symmetrical. Ahead of them was an entryway leading to a long staircase, and above it, a magnificent balcony. The floor underneath them was thick, smooth and flat. Elsa could feel tears forming in her eyes. She slid around the room, observing everything in sight, twirling as she went. Hans watched her in amusement as he moved casually towards the center of the space. Elsa ran her hands along every surface. Every column, every wall, and every arch, until she ended at the bottom of the staircase. It almost looked like one of the rooms in the palace at Arendelle...

"This is amazing!" she cried, her voice echoing against the walls and the ceiling. Olaf and Eliana waddled about the room, taking everything in as well.

"Yeah," Hans observed, "It's pretty incredible. Whoever made this was really talented." Then peering at her he added, "You're getting...quite emotional over there."

Elsa felt her cheeks and a tear was streaming down each of them. She turned to him and shouted, "Don't you understand what this means?!"

"What? What does it mean?"

"This wasn't carved out with a chisel!" she exclaimed from across the room, motioning to the architecture around them, "This was _formed._ Like my ice palace. By someone with _ice powers._ "

"Really?" He ran his hand down one of the pillars. "How do you know…?"

"I just know!" she explained, "This means, somewhere out there, there's someone just like me! I'm not the only one!"

"Wow…" he said, looking around him again as Sitron licked one of the columns. His tongue got stuck and he whinnied in frustration. "I never really thought about that possibility before."

"You mean you never once thought about whether there was someone else like me?" She asked disbelievingly, shuffling back over to him. Sitron, with some effort, was able to pull his tongue off the column and did not repeat the previous attempt again.

"Well, I guess maybe it crossed my mind at one point in time. I don't know. I can't remember specifically."

"I wonder _every single day_ of my life."

Hans sighed. "The real question is, why is this here? And where is the owner?"

Suddenly it hit Elsa. She gasped in delight, spun around, and skated towards the staircase again, bounding up them this time. "Hello?" she cried, disappearing from Hans' view. "Anyone here?" He heard some shuffling and some creaking echo from above and after a few moments she appeared on the balcony and leaned over the railing.

"There are rooms up here!" she yelled, pointing behind her. She disappeared again and after a few more seconds she slowly returned and added, "They're empty." She took one more look around before coming down the stairs. She quickly skated across the floor, past Hans, and towards the entrance on skates of her own making. "We have to go find them," she insisted, "Whoever did this, I need to meet them."

"Whoa," Hans interjected, sliding ungracefully towards her and grabbing her arm, "I should remind you that the guards are still out there looking for us. And besides, we need to find Anna first and then we can find your little ice friend."

She gazed at the entrance for a moment and then back at him. She nodded defeatedly and skated back to the center of the room, leaning on one of the columns. She observed Eliana and Olaf doing figure eights in the near distance. She laughed and pushed herself off the column to join in as Sitron tried and failed to mimic their artistry. Hans watched her take hold of Eliana's stick hands and spin her in circles. The snow maiden cried out in glee as Elsa let her hands go and Olaf caught them instead, the momentum sending them both in spirals. Elsa then proceeded to do crossovers along the walls followed by a single toe loop and a one-foot spin in place. Out of breath, Elsa halted and peered at Hans in embarrassment.

"What?" she muttered.

"Nothing, it's just…" he responded, "you're pretty good at that."

She merely scratched the back of her neck bashfully. "You try," she demanded, pointing a finger at him.

"No, I've never-" All of a sudden his feet were moving forward and backward. He looked down and his boots had been converted into skates. He stood up straight to maintain his balance. "No, your majesty, I don't know how."

"Well, then you need to learn how!" she insisted, making her way towards him, "If you're going to be _my_ friend."

Friends? They were friends? As she plowed to a stop in front of him he winced slightly, afraid that somehow she was about to knock him over. He almost lost his balance but she pulled him back just in time. She took both of his hands and slowly dragged him forwards. "Lean forward a bit," she instructed, "and bend your knees slightly." He did so, as best as he could. For someone who considered himself to be an experienced dancer, Hans thought, he was amazingly ungraceful on skates. And Elsa, on the other hand, who claimed not to know how to dance, moved with ease and elegance on the ice.

"It's almost like walking," she continued, "with small heavy steps pushing out from the inside."

He attempted to do what he thought she was talking about, but the result was unfruitful. "I don't get it," he uttered.

"Like this," she said, letting him go. He almost lost his balance but caught himself just in time. She slowly skated in circles around him, emphasising the pressure she placed on the inside edge of each skate one at a time. "See? Easy peasy."

"Oh yeah," he responded, "So easy."

She took his hands again. "Now you try." He nodded and clung to her wrists for dear life as he moved himself forward. "You're going to fall at some point in time," she informed him, "So just accept it.

"Really?" he answered sarcastically, "You don't say…"

"You won't die if you do, though. So don't be afraid."

"But I might get seriously injured," he countered.

"No," Elsa exclaimed with a laugh, "I promise you won't get hurt." She let go of one of his hands and moved to the side, giving him more space as he waddled along. "The faster you move," she pointed out, "the better your balance will be."

Hans didn't see how that made any sense, but he gather up all his courage to try it, and she was surprisingly right. As he moved a little faster, he got more of a feel for the correct way to position himself, and his confidence increased. He laughed as he realized just how enjoyable it was. Together they skated in larger circles at an even faster pace. After a few laps Hans felt more sure of his abilities, and he took Elsa's other hand and spun her in small loops. Elsa laughed with glee.

"How romantic," Eliana sighed as she and the other two watched them from behind a pillar. Olaf snickered and Sitron huffed enviously.

Perhaps Hans was a little too over-confident, however. One wrong move and he felt himself leaning in the wrong direction. He tried in vain to right himself, still gripping Elsa's arms, but he sailed backwards, pulling her down with him in turn. He threw a hand behind him to soften the fall as she landed face first onto his chest.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed in embarrassment. "Are you okay?" She lifted her head slightly and began roaring hysterically with laughter, a few snorts in between.

"What's so funny?" he asked as she rolled off him.

"You should have seen your face!"

"What's wrong with my face?" he exclaimed, lying on his side to face her.

She was hardly able to contain her laughter. "You were like-" she contorted her face into the ugliest look of surprise she could muster and howled with laughter again, holding her stomach.

"Wait, what was that?" Hans mocked, "I missed it."

"Like this." She made the same face and chuckled some more.

"Wait, I still didn't see it," Hans chortled, "Do it again."

She formed a ball of snow in the palm of her hand and slammed him in the face with it. "I'll freeze you if I have to."

"No you won't," he argued, wiping the snow off his face and flicking it away.

"Mock me again and I will!"

"Whatever you say."

Breathing heavily, the both of them lay spread eagle on their backs and gazed at the ceiling. "I guess you were right," Hans observed, "We were going to fall eventually."

* * *

 **No, it wasn't Jack Frost, so you can rule that one out. Sorry, Jelsa shippers.**

 **So...Iceland is actually quite a distance away from Norway and they wouldn't have gotten there in a day, but pretend with me, okay?**

 **The stretching noise...That's actually a thing. That I do. And I get made fun of all the time.**

 **GOOD STUFF TO COME, GUYS! STAY TUNED!**


	15. Chapter 14: Intruders

**Here you are, my lovelies.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Intruders**

Suddenly they heard an echoing crack. The sound of ice scraping against ice. Hans and Elsa sat up and glanced in the direction of Sitron, Olaf, and Eliana who were peering up the long staircase. Elsa's face lit up.

"There is someone here!" she exclaimed.

"Maybe it's a ghost," Olaf mused.

"Maybe we should leave," Hans advised.

"I want to see first," Elsa insisted.

"Queen Elsa-" He tried to reach for her arm but she was not to be deterred. She propped herself back on her skates and skated away and he was not skilled enough to chase after her. He swung his legs behind him, got on his knees and planted the right blade flat on the surface of the ice using the pick to lift the other, but his right foot slid forward and he slammed rear first back onto the ice. Giving up, he unsheathed his sword, stabbed the ice with the tip, and hoisted himself awkwardly to his feet. By that time Elsa, Olaf, and Eliana were already at the top of the stairs and Sitron was inching his way across the floor torn between bounding up with them and waiting faithfully for his master. Hans carefully skated across the ice towards the steps and Sitron scooted along beside him.

"Queen Elsa!" he repeated, but there was no response. Using the sword like a cane, he picked his way up the steps, trying not to slip as his skates threatened to throw him. Sitron followed behind, nudging his back with his nose to keep him from toppling. Once they finally reached the top they were greeted by a long, high ceilinged hallway and a massive chandelier dripping with icicles. The thick ice doors to each room were wide open after being explored by a curious ice queen, and the rooms were were all completely empty. Not a single speck lay behind from the previous occupants. Every inch of the walls was intricately engraved with a variety of magical scenes: a viking ship with mermaids following behind, a forest with fairies, plump little trolls shaped like rocks, and a little girl riding a horse on her way to...Arendelle palace?

"Queen Elsa!" he echoed again, skidding through the corridor, "You need to come see this! Where are you?"

"In here!" a muffled shout came from around the corner. He crawled against the wall and at last found her and the snowmen in a closet of a room hidden behind another ice mural.

"I wanted to show you something," Hans continued.

"Look at this!" Elsa interrupted. In front of them was an empty oval frame resting on a wooden stand against the wall. Elsa moved forward to examine it. It looked awfully familiar. It was full length, gold, and engraved with images of rock trolls and crystals.

"It's just like the mirror in Ulrich's shop!" Elsa exclaimed.

"But where's the glass?" Hans asked, moving next to Elsa and running his thumb over the engravings, "And why is this the only thing here?" Elsa began searching for any sign of glass as Olaf and Eliana assisted. Maybe there was another hidden door? Sitron planted his nose to the ground and starting sniffing around like a bloodhound. Hans continued to scrutinize the frame when he encountered the tiniest jagged slice of glass peeking out on the side. He focused in on it and slowly poked it, careful not to cut himself. Elsa pivoted back in Hans' direction just in time to witness the glass shard snap off and fall to the floor with an echoing thump.

"Huh…?" Hans uttered. Both he and Elsa eyed the tiny piece of glass on the floor, trying to decipher what properties it must have to generate that sort of impact, when they heard an even louder thump followed by a rumbling growl. All five of them spun around to face the hallway. Hans instinctively unsheathed his sword, almost sending him backwards on his skates. Elsa caught his coat with one hand and with of the other, erased the blades on both hers and Hans' feet.. More thuds pounded the ground one at a time, shaking the entire cave. Not having time to close the secret door without being seen, the five of them huddled together against the wall, not sure what it was they were dealing with. Hans was closest to the opening and as he peered out into the corridor, Elsa heard him gasp and then whisper, "Oh no. Not again."

The entity let out a piercing roar, revealing itself through the doorway. It was a twenty-foot tall snow monster, but unlike Marshmallow, this one was not cuddly and soft. It was encased almost entirely in spiky, threatening blue ice. His sword wouldn't be of much help this time around, but Hans gripped it tightly anyways. The beast made a swipe for them with its bulging fists that were bigger than its head. They all dodged out of the way, throwing themselves against the opposite side, just in time for the wall to shatter to pieces. The monster reached for them and they ran through it's legs out into the corridor. It continued to reach blindly into the empty room, giving the five of them time to make their escape.

They slipped and slid down the long staircase, and as they landed with a thud, they heard another roar from where they had been just moments ago. Elsa effortlessly got to her feet and pulled Hans up in turn. Then she threw her hands towards the beast vainly attempting to paralyze it. But instead of growling and thumping down the stairs after them, the monster grunted, let its fists fall to its sides, and peered at Elsa's outstretched hands in intrigue.

"Elsa, let's go!" Hans cried, grabbing her arm.

"Wait!" she retorted, pulling away. She looked into the creature's wide blank eyes and perceived a sense of familiarity. Then, all of a sudden, he got on one spiky knee and bowed to her. She gasped.

"Wow..." Olaf uttered as he and the others gawked at the scene. Elsa began taking small steps forward as the monster got to his feet.

"Elsa, don't!" Hans whispered loudly, but Elsa didn't acknowledge him as she continued up the ice steps. Hans slowly inched towards her standing guard.

"Hey there," Elsa squeaked nervously, maintaining eye contact with the ice monster, "You know me, don't you? Or people like me…" The creature cocked its head to the side curiously. Elsa was a puny mouse in comparison, but she was no longer afraid. "Do you know where they are?" she asked, knowing he probably wouldn't be able to answer, "Are they here? Can you take me to them?"

Judging by his expression, he understood. His shoulders sank and he shook his head sadly. Elsa's heart fell.

"What's wrong? What happened?" she pleaded. The ice monster lifted an icy finger and pointed north. "What? They're that way?" He shook his head again, and this time put his fists together and shot them outward, making an exploding noise that echoed through the room. Elsa furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Something exploded? They crashed into something? Suddenly she felt a presence at her left. It was Hans. His sword was placed back in its sheath, but he kept his fingers secured to the hilt.

"Hans, go back!" Elsa whispered. Mistaking Elsa's annoyance for fear, the monster growled threateningly at Hans who stepped in front of Elsa and pulled out his sword. "Stop, Hans! You're scaring him!" But it was too late. The monster clenched its fists and let out a bellowing roar. He lifted one hand ready to make a mighty swipe at Hans, and Elsa too in turn, but they jumped out of the way just as the fist made contact with the railing, sending it crumbling to the floor below. Elsa tried to make eye contact again with the beast, but it was pointless. Hans took her hand and they slid down the stairs. The ice monster came pounding down after them roaring in rage.

"Sitron!" Hans shouted. But Sitron was glued to the spot, eyes fixed on the monster. Hans, Elsa, Olaf, and Eliana hopped on his back and they made a quick getaway. With the monster's first step on the bottom floor, his foot broke through the thick ice revealing an immense chasm of rock below. He was stuck for a moment, but hoisted himself out halfway causing the rest of the ice to crumble and crack. Once the wreckage reached the team of escapees, the surface shifted underneath them sending Sitron sliding down towards the cliff. Hans clung to the reins as Elsa clung to his waist, but Olaf and Eliana sailed off the horse's back and would have disappeared into the crater below if Elsa had not sealed the void with a thick, smooth sheet of ice. She reached out for them and pulled them back onto the horse as the monster made a swipe upward. It was just enough to send the glacier they were planted on flying in the air, taking them with it. The five of them landed on firm ground and, without bothering to mount Sitron again, they ran for their lives towards the entrance. Even after the beast met his defeat at the thick, impenetrable cave wall, they continued running and stumbling through a field of rolling moss until the ice monster's roars were merely an echo.

Exhausted and out of breath, Elsa fell face first against one of the mounds. After a moment she flipped over and sat up, shouting at Hans, "Look what you did!"

He turned to her in confusion. "What?!" he yelled back, "You mean save your life?!"

She stood up and made her way towards him, her hands completely frosted over. "I had it under control!"

"Well, obviously not!" he retorted, motioning his hand to the scene they had just escaped from.

"You scared him!" she cried, pointing a sharp icy finger at him.

"I scared him?" he yelled, taking her wrist and redirecting her finger away from his face.

"He knew where to find those people!" Elsa cried in frustration, pulling her hand away, "He knew what happened to them and now I'll never know because of you!" A shard of ice flew out of her hands and Hans dodged it just in time. Elsa stepped back, throwing her clenched fists behind her and looking slightly ashamed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hans growled.

"Didn't you pay any attention?"

"Not really, I was more focused on keeping you from being crushed."

"He said that they went north somewhere." Hans glanced in that general direction as if a family of white-haired folk would appear perched atop the hill. "Something happened to them." She sighed with heartbreak, sitting on a mound of moss again. The spot was slightly wet and she winced, rising to her feet again and brushing the back of her skirt. "Some kind of accident. I guess this means I am the only one after all."

Hans sighed, not really sure what to do to comfort her. "I'm sorry," he consoled, making a motion to pat her on the shoulder, but he stopped himself. "Think of it this way. You're special. One of a kind."

She didn't respond, only dug the toe of her shoe into a divot in the moss. She then examined her surroundings and muttered, "Where are we? There's no path."

Hans turned to peer at a rocky cliff nearby. "Wait here." There was a section just barely suited for perching oneself to survey the landscape. Elsa and the others squinted up at him.

"Do you see anything?" she yelled to him.

"I think I see a path that way," he answered, studying the horizon in the opposite direction.

As Hans focused on his search, he heard Elsa shout, "Hans, look! There's someone coming!" He twisted his head just enough to see a horseman approach her out of the corner of his eye. "Excuse me!" Elsa cried cheerfully, "Hello, could you tell us where-" and then Hans heard a muffled scream, the cries of the two snow people, and the whinnying of Sitron. Hans pivoted around, nearly toppling over, just in time to see a gangly young man with white hair and white skin pressing a handkerchief over the mouth of an unconscious ice queen.

"ELSA!" Hans cried, "NO!" He practically threw himself off the cliff he was perched on as the man kicked the snow people aside, mounted a black horse, and rode off with Elsa in his arms. Ignoring the scratches on his hands and knees, he bolted towards the frantic Sitron, but was blocked by two more horsemen who had appeared from behind the cliff. He didn't have time to reach for his weapon before one of them knocked him hard in the head with the hilt of a sword, rendering him unconscious.


	16. Chapter 15: A Treaty

**Ten points to Gryffindor if you can spot the Ever After reference.**

 **Sometimes...you'll notice that words are capitalized after dialogue where they shouldn't be. That's because Google Docs sees a "!" and thinks it's the end of the sentence, and I'm too lazy to go through and fix it. I'm not incompetent, I swear.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: A Treaty**

Elsa was standing in the center of a grove of willow trees. They were dripping in icicles, and sparkling white snow blanketed the ground, fresh and undisturbed. She was wearing her blue ice gown, the long train trailing behind her, and she gradually took a few steps forward, examining her surroundings. The branches of the willows seemed to be made of glass, and she was afraid to touch them lest they should snap off and shatter. It was completely silent and she was entirely alone. She had no idea how she had gotten there or where she had been before. It was as though she had always been there.

Suddenly, in the distance, she spotted a figure in boots and a grey coat. He was facing away from her, donning his Southern Isles naval uniform as he did when he found her in her ice palace two years prior.

"Hans!" she shouted, tripping through the snow. But before she could make three steps he was in front of her, staring her down with a hungry, monstrous grin. He looked just as he did when she first met him: deceptively handsome, pristinely groomed, and carefully stanced. Not at all like the rugged, carefree Hans she had come to know. He was raising a sword high above him, ready to bring it down on her head. She cried out and lifted her hands in defense, but she had lost her powers somehow and couldn't block it. So she fell to the ground, covered her head, and waited for the blow. But it didn't come. She glanced up and Hans was gone. In his place stood Anna wearing pigtails and her most colorful snowsuit. Her expression was blank, and she glared down at her sister, brandishing the weapon.

"Anna!" Elsa shouted, attempting to lift herself to embrace her, but she was paralyzed somehow.

"Hello, sister," Anna greeted flatly, "You're early."

"What?" Elsa questioned in confusion.

"I said," she repeated angrily, "you're early. We weren't expecting you so soon. It's not time yet."

"We?" Elsa asked, "Time for wha-?" but she couldn't finish as Anna whipped the sword down on her head. Before she felt it hit its mark she woke up with a start. She was now in a dark, dank prison cell curled up on a bed of straw with only a thin wool sheet dividing her from it. She felt a little lightheaded as she sat up and attempted to rub her eyes, only to find that her hands were jammed inside a thick, iron hand muff like a Chinese finger trap. She tried to free herself, but it was fruitless. She examined her surroundings, unable to recall what had happened. The last thing she remembered was hounding on Hans for frightening away the ice monster. As he came to mind, she searched the adjacent cells for him, but it was too dark. The only illumination she could perceive was a dim lantern hanging in the corridor. Under the lantern loomed a petite figure in a long dress and and an elegant bun. The figure took a step forward so that the orange glow shone on her face, revealing none other than her sister, Anna. She was pale and clearly exhausted, not bright-eyed and rosy cheeked like she remembered.

"ANNA!" Elsa screamed with joy and relief, struggling to her feet and sprinting to the iron bars that separated them. "You're safe! You're safe!" she exclaimed. Anna, with her dark-circled eyes, just stared at her. No, _glared_ at her. Maybe it was just the lighting, but she appeared _livid,_ as if she was resisting the urge to wring her neck. But she said and did nothing. "I'm sorry it took so long!" Elsa ranted, "I'm so so sorry!" She longed to reach out and take her sister's hand, but her arms were incapacitated. Anna took a step back before storming down the corridor, slamming the dungeon door, and bolting it securely.

"Anna?" Elsa called. She waited for her to return so they could plan their escape, but she was greeted only by silence. She attempted to squeeze her face through the metal bars to get a better view, but Anna was gone from the room. She gathered her thoughts together, trying to divine where she was, what was happening, and what was wrong with her sister. Anna wasn't well at all. Was she angry that it took so long to find her? She shouldn't have stayed so long in Kubbergrove. She shouldn't have spent so much time in that ice cave.

She assumed she was in the Reykjaford Royal Palace. It couldn't be anywhere else. She searched the darkness again for Hans, but she was completely alone. There was no sign of Olaf, Eliana, or Sitron either. Were they hurt? Killed?

Her reveries were interrupted when she heard the bolt click loudly and the main door squeaked open. Two guards appeared wearing blue and red button-up coats, and one of them unlocked and swung open the door to Elsa's cell with a creak and a clank. Without a word, they led her through a maze of passageways, up a long winding stone staircase, and among a series of chilly, narrow corridors. They arrived at an extensive hall lined with suits of armor and grand windows. They travelled quickly down the maroon carpet before approaching two massive ebony doors that reached to the ceiling. The guards pounded loudly and a woman's sweet voice chanted, "Bring her in, please."

The doors swung open, revealing a broad staircase entering into a vast round hall with caramel marble floors, towering white pillars, and tall windows donning wine-red curtains. A balcony level circled the area above them from which onlookers were now examining her. In between two pillars against the wall were three elegant thrones. The one on the left side was vacant, and in the center was perched a regal young woman with a gold crown, auburn hair, a round childlike face, and a button nose. To the left, in front of the empty seat, stood a thin, lanky young man with ragged blond hair and dark circles under his eyes. And to the right sat none other than Princess Anna of Arendelle. She placed herself with her back straight and an arm on each arm rest like a true royal. Her long green gown, which reached past her toes, was exquisite and intricately adorned. Elsa had expected to find Anna as she found herself now: dirty, shackled, and afraid. She wanted to beg her to explain what was going on, but she couldn't utter a sound.

"You're early, cousin," the young woman cooed with a much deeper tone than Elsa would have expected from such a delicate figure. Elsa peered around the room to find who this cousin was she was speaking to, but all eyes were on her. She glanced at Anna whose expression was blank and solemn, and then back at the woman.

"Who me?" Elsa inquired. She made a motion to point at herself but her hands were inaccessible.

"Yes, Elsa, you," she responded with perfect articulation, "We weren't expecting you so soon. I'm sorry that the king couldn't make it. He would have loved to meet you, but he has other duties to attend to." She seemed completely unperturbed by it, however.

"I think you're mistaken, Queen...Mirella, am I right?" Elsa presumed, "I don't have any cousins."

"Don't pretend to be ignorant, Elsa!" she spat, leaning forward, "You know all too well who I am. You know what you've done. What your _father_ has done."

Elsa furrowed her eyebrows. "I haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about." She glanced at Anna again, searching for any signs of confusion or disbelief, but she only smirked. Elsa was surprised at how such a subtle expression could plunge into her like a dagger.

"Don't be stupid, Elsa, you know about the blizzard!" the queen exclaimed, standing now.

"What does that have to do with my father?" Elsa spat, "He was dead when I did that. Plus, it was an accident."

"Not _that_ blizzard!" Mirella yelled spitefully, "The other one! Twenty-one years ago!" Clearly she had been counting the days to say these things.

"Hmm…" Elsa mused with sarcasm, "Well, I was…" She quickly did the math in her mind. "...three, so it may have slipped my mind. Maybe you can remind me."

Mirella's face went red. "You think it's _so funny._ He had the same powers as you…" Elsa's heart skipped a beat and her mouth fell open. "And you pretend not to care. You have no sympathy towards him. Towards me."

"Who?" Elsa pleaded, "Who has powers like me?" She thought of the ice palace inside the cave. She would meet the architect at last.

" _Had_. He _had_ powers like you. Your uncle. Murdered by your worthless, merciless father."

"What?" Elsa uttered in disbelief. "No. You're making that up. My father never said anything about having a brother."

"Of course he wouldn't. After exiling him and having him executed."

"He would never do that!" Elsa cried in anger. She started walking towards her sister. "Anna, why won't you say anything? Don't just sit there and stare at me!" Her eye caught hold of a long cut on Anna's arm. "Anna…" Elsa started, "You're-" Then turning to Mirella she spat, "What did you-?!"

"I have the exile order right here, sister," Anna interrupted serenely as the guards came and pulled Elsa away. It was the first time Elsa heard Anna speak since the night before her wedding. "Let me read it to you." It wasn't her. It wasn't her voice. It wasn't her sister. Something was horribly wrong.

"This can't be…" Elsa whispered to herself.

"No, actually, why don't you read it?" Anna chirped.

"Sigurður," Mirella called, turning to the rat-like man to her left and pointing at Elsa, "could you please-?" She didn't need to explain further before he snatched the keys from the guards and released her from her restraints. Anna held the document out to Elsa with an expression of pure abhorrence as if she was a rotten piece of fruit.

Elsa slowly made her way forward, rubbing her swollen wrists, and took the letter from her sister's hands. She then took a step back and ran a shaky finger over the Arendelle seal as she read, " _May it be known to all that I, Crown Prince Agnarr of Arendelle, for the good of the citizens of this nation and at the unanimous election of the court, hereby exile King Eberhard of Arendelle, his wife, and his daughter, to the Northwestern Isle on crimes of treason, murder, and negligence. He will also, hereby, voluntarily abdicate his throne and no longer have any rights or titles in the Kingdom of Arendelle. Signed…"_ she saw a long blotchy list of names that she couldn't read, but her father's signature was unmistakeable.

"Murder…?" She muttered. A guard swiftly snatched up the proclamation and loomed over her, ready to lock her up again if necessary.

"So they said," Mirella huffed, "He bundled me and my mother up and escaped to the North Mountain, hoping that would stop the winter. But his own guards, on your father's order, followed us. And once we arrived here we tried hiding, but they found us again."

"The ice cave...you lived there?" Elsa asked.

"And then he was executed."

"How?"

"Burned to death."

"In a _volcano_ ," Sigurður added.

"Siggi! Quiet!" Mirella hissed at him.

"Apologies, your ladyship," he wheezed with a bow.

Tears formed in Mirella's eyes as she continued. "My mother and I watched at a distance as he disintegrated, before she suffocated from the smoke and ash herself. And now I've been an orphan most of my life, thanks to your father _._ And I remain here an exile, deprived of what is rightfully mine, because of _you._ "

Elsa looked at Anna again, who was shaking her head in disgust. "But...I had no idea! I'm having a hard time even believing-"

"You've seen my father's ice palace, you said? Inside the cave?"

"Yes…"

"And it was looted and gutted out, was it not?"

"Yes..." Elsa responded absentmindedly, beginning to put the pieces together, "It was."

"There's your second bit of evidence. Everything taken by your father's guards, except…" she paused, biting her tongue. "And you've maybe met the son of my first benefactor?" She inquired.

"Who?..."

"Baron Gunnwald Bjornson."

"Gunnwald?" Elsa was silent for a moment, remembering what the Baron had said about his father taking in an orphan and how Mirella had sent him to find her. And then she recalled the horrifying sight on the ship that night. "Gunnwald is _dead._ "

Mirella's face turned white. "Wh-what?"

"Your cronies stabbed him and threw him into the ocean. On your orders, I think."

She took a step back. "No...I-I didn't think they-" She peered at the court and then at Elsa again. Recollecting her composure, she straightened her back, stuck her nose in the air and said, "Well, Gunni probably did something to deserve it."

Elsa just shook her head in disbelief and inhaled. She pursed her lips and then started, "I believe you now. And I'm sorry. If I had known any of this, I would have done something. Now can I have my sister back?"

Mirella's countenance was crestfallen. Elsa fully expected her cousin to let out a sigh of forgiveness and embrace her as a family member should, but instead she laughed, "Elsa, I didn't lure you here just to have a chat and send you on your way." Sitting down she continued, "I have a condition."

"What condition?"

Mirella pulled out a scroll, unrolled it, and held it out before her. "Arendelle," she responded flatly.

"What about Arendelle?"

"You return Arendelle to me. And _never_ go back."

" _What?"_

" _I, Elsa, daughter of King Agnarr,"_ Mirella read, " _hereby abdicate the throne of Arendelle and return it to it's rightful heir, Mirella, Queen Consort of the Northwestern Isle and Crown Princess of Arendelle. I furthermore voluntarily exile myself from all regions of the nation of Arendelle forthwith until forever. Signed…"_ She turned to Sigurður and said, "Siggi, fetch the pen and ink."

"Yes, my lady," he bowed, scurrying away.

"You can't be serious…" Elsa uttered.

"I assure you, I am. Take it or leave it."

"But you already have a kingdom…"

Mirella laughed. "This isn't _my_ kingdom! It's my husband's kingdom. My lifelong goal has always been to avenge my father, return home, and take back what is rightfully mine. I sit on this throne because the king and his subjects uphold me in this endeavor."

This woman, Elsa thought, was more cunning, persuasive, and determined than she thought. She at last understood why she and Hans were being chased in the market square when they arrived on the island. "But...you don't know anything about Arendelle," Elsa argued, "You know nothing about our trade partners, our court, our recent law reforms-" Sigurður instantly returned with an inkwell and quill pen.

"Oh believe me," Mirella responded, taking the writing materials from her servant, standing up, and making her way towards Elsa, "I know plenty. I've heard enough about how incompetent you are."

"And no one in Arendelle will accept you as their queen."

"Oh, I think they just might." She loaded the pen with ink and held it and the parchment before her.

"Can't we just-"

"Arendelle or your sister, Elsa!" she shouted, "What's it going to be?!"

A million thoughts went through Elsa's head, but there was no question in her mind about what she should do. Her people would be fine. They took care of themselves when she ran away two years ago. Well, actually, Hans took care of them…

She reviewed the contract one more time, and with a trembling hand, took the pen and signed at the bottom of the page.

"Wonderful!" Mirella exclaimed, rolling up the scroll and waltzing back to her perch, "Now then-" She was interrupted when Siggi shuffled to her and whispered something in her ear. "I know, I know!" she whispered, handing the inkwell to him and waving him away. She sat gracefully down on her throne again, an arm on each arm rest. Her and Anna looked almost identical with their matching hair and attitude. "I have another condition," she added, running her palm over the signature.

"What now?" Elsa growled, the pen still caught in her fingertips.

"You have to stay here with us. For two days. As a...guest, you could say."

"In prison?"

"No, of course not! Why would I do that to my own family?"

Elsa's mouth gaped open. "I'm sorry, I'm confused."

"It's been twenty-one years. I want a chance to get to know both my cousins."

"Why don't you just go now? Move into your palace and leave us be."

"Would you rather I lock you in the dungeon?"

"No-"

"Then you will stay here in the palace for two days."

"Two? Why not three? Or four?" Elsa spat sarcastically, "Or a whole week if you _really_ want to be close. We can braid each other's hair, gossip about boys-"

"Two days."

Elsa exhaled, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She peered at Anna again, who was perfectly serene as if she was oblivious to anything that was happening. _Princess Anna is worse than dead_ , she remembered Gunnwald say, _The Anna you know is gone._ She would have to figure that one out once she and Anna were free.

"I have a second condition as well," Elsa growled.

"What?"

"You free my attendant, too."

"Your attendant...Oh, you mean Prince Hans?" Mirella questioned.

Elsa nodded. "I know he's here somewhere."

Mirella peered at Siggi who made the smallest of shrugs before pretending to itch his chin with his shoulder.

"Sorry, I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because he's dead."

Elsa felt all the air instantly leave her lungs. Anna snickered.

"My men made sure to dispose of him out there in the moor. His horse and your little snow friends, too."

"No…"

"Why would I want him hanging around here anyways?" she laughed.

"You're lying…"

"Anna would be absolutely livid if she saw him again. I don't want to upset my poor, precious Anna." She reached out her hand to her youngest cousin, who smiled at her and took it. Elsa wanted to rip her hair out. She turned her sister against her, took everything from her, and murdered the only friends she had left. "You still have to stay with me, though," Mirella continued, still holding Anna's hand, "Prince Hans or no Prince Hans. Don't worry, though. The king and I will give you our best spare room, plenty of food, and plenty of pretty things to wear as long as you don't make any stupid moves. Enjoy it while it lasts."

Elsa said nothing. Cold tears of rage formed in her eyes and she couldn't utter a word.

"I'll take that as a yes."


	17. Chapter 16: Worthless

**No, I haven't abandoned you. Just been super busy. You don't need to hear my life story though. Just know that I'm truly sorry and that I love you all immensely.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Worthless**

The room wasn't as big as her room in Arendelle, but it was lavish nonetheless. The canopy bed and all other furnishings were made of imported cherry wood, and every inch of the thick bed posts were engraved with fruits and flowers. The curtains were wine red and the detailing on the walls were lined with gold leaf. Above her hung a magnificent crystal chandelier, and the floors were made of marble tile. The balcony outside provided a perfect view of the fjord. So perfect that if she stepped off, she would fall right into it. There was no chance of escaping that way.

She wore one of Mirella's dresses. It was covered in cream-colored crochet lace, and was stiff, itchy, and uncomfortable with its high collar and long sleeves. It must be, Elsa thought, one of Mirella's least favorite dresses or she wouldn't have lent it to her. Mirella was sure to have the ladies' maids fuss over her to make sure she was washed and groomed to perfection. Although Elsa was made up with lipstick, rouge and curls cascading down her back, she didn't care to show herself off to anyone. She knew that the reason Mirella attended to her so well wasn't to be a hospitable hostess. Rather, she wanted to keep her in check at all times. So now Elsa had shut herself in her room at the end of the session, because her room was the only place where she could maintain some seclusion for at least a time. Guards with swords were posted at every corner of the castle, including right outside her door, and she was fitted with thick white gloves to prevent her from using her powers. And on Mirella's orders, if she ever used her ice magic or was even seen without her gloves, Anna would be the one to pay for it.

She perched herself at the end of the bed, leaning against the post and fiddling with the snowflake necklace still around her neck. Her only possession now. She dug her foot into a thick throw carpet detailed with the Northwestern Isle coat of arms, the same one Hans had spotted on the horse that took Anna away from her. _Hans..._ she thought, _Hans is dead. He's gone._ She imagined him lying in the middle of that cold moss field, still and motionless. She shuddered as she remembered how she had scolded him for scaring away the ice monster. She should have said something else to him before she was to never see him again. But what? If she had known his life was about to end, what would she have said? Goodbye? Shake his hand and say thank you? No, somehow, those words didn't suffice.

She felt a tear form in the corner of her eye, but then something in the back of her mind insisted that Mirella was lying. That he was still alive. He had to be. He was too smart, cunning, and fearless. As soon as she got the opportunity, she would take Anna, find Hans, and then...And then what?

Hans, if he wasn't on his way already, would return to Kubbergrove. He would win back the love and adoration of the people, continue his newfound life of carefree simplicity, and forget all about her. And she...

For the first time since she had known him and his sad past, she envied him. He had a family, a position, and a place where he belonged. She, on the other hand, was homeless, friendless, and worthless. Not even the clothes on her back belonged to her. But she had Anna, even if she was a bit unwell, and that was worth more than a million friends and a thousand crowns. That was what she needed to focus on. There was clearly something sinister awaiting them at the end of those two days, and Elsa didn't want to find out what it was. So they needed to disappear as soon as possible, and then they could figure out the rest. If she was lucky, perhaps she could arrive at Arendelle before Mirella and take her throne back. Except that the throne never belonged to her to begin with...

Elsa let out a sigh of defeat. There was no going home. But they had to get somewhere besides this prison. And quickly. Without being seen. She traced a vine on the rug with her eyes as she ran through her mind everything she knew about the palace's design and layout. She knew where the main entrance was, but that wasn't an escape option. She needed to find a servants' quarters with an obscure exit, but how she would find it she didn't know. The best guess would be on the lower floors, but with guards everywhere watching her, they might be suspicious. It would make things much quicker if she could only take Anna aside and talk to her. Maybe she could lead them directly to the best exit and set the best moment for escape.

Elsa was left to her own devices, however. Anna was almost always accompanied by servants when she wasn't with Mirella. She decided that her only option was to go for a little "walk" and hope that it wouldn't raise too much suspicion. She rose to her feet, tucked her necklace under her collar, and inched her way towards the door. She turned the brass handle and it creaked open into the long hallway where an attentive guard with a pointy mustache pivoted to face her.

Elsa held up her hands displaying her gloves like a hall pass. "I'm just going for a stroll," she whispered, "I need to walk off that roast I ate." The guard growled and let her pass. He watched her entire promenade down the hall and past the vast portraits of all the late royals. Once she thought she was alone again, she was met by a group of maids holding rags and feather dusters, who gawked at her and whispered suspiciously to each other. "Should we tell the warden?" she thought she heard one of them say. Pretending not to hear them, she maintained a steady pace and turned the corner. She kept going and going, memorizing each corridor and staircase until she was surprised to find herself alone and utterly lost.

Stumbling upon a decorated arched window at a corner lookout, she peered through it and spotted the fjord. She was still on the northwest side, she concluded. That was a little helpful. Memorizing that location, she did her best to head northeast, traipsing nonchalantly through corridors and up and down staircases. She was in an obscure area now with stone walls and floors and not many windows. But once she found one, she peered through the foggy glass and examined her progress. Beyond a long dirt path she spotted a long roofless structure with stone walls and green, arched double doors. Stable hands in aprons were brushing horses and pushing wheelbarrows of feed. And then, as if heaven-sent, she recognized her. Anna. She was there in an instant before disappearing inside. Elsa wished that she could fly straight through the wall and land in front of her. She found a staircase and rushed down it, only to find that it ended at another corridor with two butlers headed in her direction. Begging her feet to slow down, she nodded to them as they passed and pretended to examine a thick, medieval tapestry against the wall. It was a faded, and was embroidered with images of warriors in viking ships wielding swords over each other's heads. But what was most peculiar was the draft causing it to flutter to and fro. Her curiosity got the better of her, and peering up the steps to be sure the butlers were gone, she pulled the tapestry aside, revealing nothing but a wall. But she still felt a slight gust of air graze her exposed ankles, so she leaned on the wall and it shifted slightly. She pushed some more, and with a strained effort, it creaked opened. Thinking that she heard footsteps approaching from above, she hurriedly stepped inside, replaced the tapestry, and closed the door.

She arrived at what seemed to be abandoned servants' quarters. The corridor was narrow and dusty, and the walls and floors were made of stone. It was dark except for a faint white light bleeding through a hole in a dirty window through which vines were creeping in. Broken furniture and empty bed frames were strewn everywhere, some of them covered in sheets, but all laiden with cobwebs. She couldn't decided if she was frightened or fascinated. She weaved her way through, and as she did, pigeons dashed past her from their hidden perches. Elsa shielded her head with her hands as they flew by before making her way to the end of the corridor. And then she found it: another staircase. Down and down she went, turning in circles and feeling dizzy, and at last her curiosity was not in vain. She approached a small door with peeling paint and a dirty window pane. She used her glove to clear it, not caring to soil it, and peered through. She couldn't see Anna anymore. She pushed the door open and jumped down an almost non-existent stoop. The sun was beginning to set. How long had she been in that dungeon? Did she arrive at the palace that same day or was it the day before? The castle was perched on a hill, she noticed, far above the village. She strolled casually down the dirt path passing chickens and geese along the way, when she was stopped by a stout man in a uniform and a raven black beard.

"Where do you think you're going?!" The guard shouted, staring her down.

"I was just wondering if, uh…" He glared at her suspiciously, "If, uh, there was a...a bucket."

"A bucket…"

"Yes." The guard sneered at her, and she added, "For Olga, the ladies' maid. She asked me to get one."

With a huff he surrendered, waving at her to follow him. Elsa thought quickly as he hovered over her all the way down the lane. If Anna was still there, what would she say to her? What could she say without being overheard?

The stables were quaint, modest, and rather smelly. A man was shoveling manure into a wheelbarrow, but paused when he saw Elsa pass. He seemed as if he wasn't sure whether to bow or not, so he shifted his weight before shoveling again.

"You'll find a bucket in that shed right there," the guard pointed scoffingly.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Elsa curtsied and made her way in the direction indicated. Down the way, she spotted her sister stroking a gray mare soothingly. Elsa longed to run to her, hop onto that gray mare, and ride away, but Anna was as closely guarded as she was. Elsa paused to watch the guard leave, but he stayed put, glaring at her with his arms folded. So she continued to the nearby shed, and hurriedly searched in the fading sunlight for something bucket-like. She heard something collapse behind her. She spun around, but couldn't make out anyone there. Probably a mouse, she thought. Steering clear of that ominous space so as not to encounter the little creature, she quickly found a rusty tin pail. Suddenly, a plan formed in her mind.

Removing one glove, she placed it inside the pail, took the handle by both hands, and hid them behind her back. She gently pushed the decaying wood door open with her feet and faced the suspicious gentleman.

"Found one!" she smiled, twisting back and forth, the pail swinging behind her. "Now I'll…" She released one exposed pinky finger from her grip. "I'll just head back now..." And with a swish and a flick they heard a crash on the opposite side of the castle by the garden courtyard. With a wave of her pointer finger, Elsa blindly removed all traces of the source.

"What was that?" the guard cried, brandishing his sword. Anna's chaperone came bounding to his side.

"Is someone trying to break in?!" Elsa questioned, holding the dirty pail fearfully to her chest with her gloved hand. "Queen Mirella or the king might be in trouble! We have to go investigate!"

Anna came running too as the guards and all the servants dropped their tasks and bolted towards the palace entrance. Barely noticing Elsa, she squealed, "No! Not Mirella!" She made to sprint after the others, before Elsa dropped the pail with a clank, grabbed her by the collar and dragged her into the storage shed. Anna tried to pull free, but Elsa blocked the door with a threatening stance.

"Let me out, Elsa!" Anna screamed.

"Anna, we have to leave! Now! Before they come back!" She shuffled around for supplies and riding equipment. Anna ran towards the door again and Elsa, taking notice, dropped the items and threw herself in front of it. "Anna, what are you doing?" she cried in confusion.

"I'm not going _anywhere_ with you!" Anna spat.

" _What?"_

"I NEVER want to see you again after this!"

"What are you...talking about?"

"I HATE you!" Anna screamed. Elsa was speechless, and she let her arms fall to her sides. It was as if Anna had punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She was still in that dream she had had in the dungeon. "I've _always_ hated you! You're a monster, and I wish you were dead!"

This was not her sister. Mirella had done something to her. Anna would never turn on her like this. Ice crawled up her arm as she stuttered, "Are you...are you even listening to yourself?"

"I know perfectly well what I'm saying, sister."

"Since when do you call me 'sister'?"

"All you ever did was shut me out and treat me like I'm _nothing!"_

"But, you said you-"

"And not only that," Anna interrupted, "but you almost _killed_ me! Twice! And now you're waltzing around with _Prince Hans?"_ There it was. It stabbed her in the heart like the blast of ice she had stabbed Anna with. She was a monster who almost murdered her, and she had welcomed into her life the monster who almost did the same. Tears formed in her eyes and she clenched her frozen fist to her chest.

"I'm going with Mirella. She'll make a much better sister than you ever did. And you'll stay and be alone, just like you left me alone. Now let me out! I never want to see you again!"

She shoved Elsa aside, stomped out the door, and slammed it so hard that it swung open again. Elsa took few steps back in shock, hitting against the side of a dusty sleigh. It started to sink in that Anna was not joking, and that she meant every word she said.

Snow began to fall from the ceiling as she slid to the floor. She leaned the side of her head against the wood and sobbed so hard that she could barely breathe. Anna was right. She was a monster and she deserved to be despised and impoverished. The depression she hadn't felt in years enveloped her and she wished she was dead. She cried for what felt like forever, tracing an icy finger along the design of the sleigh. Then her whimpering slowed. Lifting her head, she examined the stripe and zig zag outline. She wiped away her tears and stood to take in all the craftsmanship, but she was unable to make out the colors in the dying light. She frantically snatched a lantern hanging by the door, and brushed some cobwebs off a matchbox on the window sill. Lighting the lantern and holding it to the face of the sleigh, she inspected the steel blue paint, the rose-colored diamond in the center, and the robin's egg blue diamond inside of it. It was unmistakeable. But how in the world had it gotten here?

She investigated her surroundings, looking for more clues that somehow her sister's fiance was present, when she heard a creak, and this time it was no mouse. Someone was watching her. Someone had overheard her conversation. She slowly leaned against the sleigh, hid her exposed hand, and uttered fearfully, "Who...who's there?"

All of a sudden, someone grabbed her by the waist from behind, pinning her arms to her sides, and clamped a hand over her mouth. She let out a muffled scream as the lantern dropped to the floor. She attempted to pull a way, preparing to launch spikes of ice at the captor's face, until the person whispered desperately in her ear, "Ssshhhh! It's just me!"

Elsa silenced herself, and the captor removed the hand from her mouth. She spun around to face the person standing inside of the sleigh. "HANS!" she cried in relief. She instantly forgot everything Anna had called to her memory as she threw her arms around him. He returned the embrace nervously. "You're not dead!" she shouted.

"Ssshhhhh!" he repeated as Elsa pulled away.

"I knew it!" She squealed, clutching his forearm and shaking it excitedly, "I knew she was lying!"

Hans tensed as she gripped his arm. "Wh-who?" he questioned absent mindedly.

"Queen Mirella! She said they killed you!"

He removed her hands and squeezed them for a split second before placing them at her sides. "Well, they didn't," he chuckled bashfully, reaching for the edge of the sleigh and lifting himself out with ease. "The Westergaards are immortal, you know. They left a nice bump on my head, though. Oh, and did you find your bucket?"

"How did you find this place?" Elsa whispered urgently, picking up the lantern and examining his head for a moment.

He was distracted temporarily by her curls and rosy cheeks before answering, "We followed the sign that said, 'Reykjaford Royal Palace: This Way.'"

"We?" she cried, peering at their surroundings excitedly.

"HI!" an animated voice cheered, and two snowmen poked their round heads out from inside the sleigh.

"Olaf! Eliana!" Elsa cried, "Look at you guys!" They were a little disheveled and dirty, but still intact. She hung the lantern on it's hook and, with a wave of her hand, they were clean, polished, and plump once more. "Where's Sitron?" Elsa inquired.

"Hiding in one of the stalls," Hans explained. "Waiting for me to come find you so we can get out of here." He and the others started to make their way to the door, but Elsa was fixed to the spot.

"I can't leave," Elsa stated.

They pivoted around. "Why not?" Olaf asked.

"If Anna's not leaving, neither am I."

"Then you'll just have to drag her by the hair," Hans insisted, "We don't have time. You don't know what that witch is going to do to you."

Elsa suddenly remembered all the biting words Anna had said to her. "I don't care what Mirella does to me."

All three of them stared at her in confusion. "What?" they said in unison.

"You should go, or they'll catch you."

At last, Hans understood. "You believe her. Don't you?" She peered at him as if she didn't understand how he couldn't. He walked towards her and said, "Elsa, she's not in her right mind-"

"What do you know about her 'right mind'?" Elsa asked spitefully. Hans was taken aback.

"No, he's right," Olaf defended, "She didn't know what she was saying."

"But it doesn't change the fact that it's true." she sighed and stared at her hands.

"You're not a monster," Hans asserted, knowing exactly what she was thinking, "I of all people should know what a monster is."

He smiled at Elsa expectantly, but she closed her eyes. She was torn. But if she wanted to convince Anna that she was on her side, she had no choice. "You need to go," she whispered.

"But," Eliana retaliated, "We're not leaving without-"

"Hans," Elsa clarified, staring at the floor, "Hans, you and Sitron need to go."

Hans felt the air leave his chest. "Wha-what? What are you saying?"

"We need to fix this on our own. Olaf, Eliana and me."

"Why can't he help us?" Eliana chirped.

"Because…" Elsa started, "because he just can't…"

"No," Hans argued, "I'm not leaving you guys. Not until all four of you are safely back in Arendelle."

She bit her lip. "Please, Hans. Just-"

"What did Mirella say?" he probed, "What does she want from you?"

She couldn't tell him. It would be the perfect test of loyalty, but she couldn't do it. She wanted to assume that he wouldn't care, but she didn't want to risk it. His opinion mattered more to her than she thought it did. She wanted to be sure that he would leave believing that she still had some value. "She just…" she began, "She wants to keep me as a prisoner here for two days. In exchange for Anna."

"That's it?" Hans asked in disbelief.

"That is, if Anna will even go with me."

"She wants you to hang out with her and then what?" Olaf asked incredulously.

"I-I don't know…" she lied.

The interrogation came to an end when they were interrupted by a distant voice. "You idiot!" he yelled, "What if she escaped?!"

"Quick," Elsa whispered, "You have to go."

"Not without you," Hans insisted again, "Can't you just-"

"No," she retaliated, knowing what he was going to say, "If someone catches me using my magic, or even if I'm not wearing my-" She looked at her exposed hand and panicked. "Go, you three!" she breathed, "Hide! I'll be fine!"

She bolted to the door and swung it open. It was dark now as she slammed the door shut and felt around for the pail she had dropped earlier. She heard a clank as her hand hit it and she jumped, a spout of ice shooting out of her hand. She clenched it close to her chest, and after revealing the hidden glove, stuffed her hand inside it. Just as she did, three guards through the entrance with lanterns and swords in their grasps.

"What are you still doing here?" shouted the stout man who had escorted her previously.

"I-" she stuttered, picking up the pail and holding it before her with her muddy hands, "I'm just returning the bucket."

"Aren't you supposed to be getting read for dinn-" Suddenly there was a crash and a faint, "Oof!"

Elsa instantly dropped the pail. "Oof!" she echoed, "Hah, I'm such a clutz..." But the guards weren't fooled. Pushing her aside, two of them stormed into the shed as the other held her with a sword at her throat. Elsa listened fearfully as a struggle ensued, and they emerged with a disheveled Hans and a moving burlap sack full of snow.

"Do anything stupid," Hans' captor growled in his ear, nodding to Elsa, "And she's dead." The guard holding Elsa inched the sword closer to her throat.

"You lay a finger on her," warned the guard with the bag over his shoulder, struggling to not topple over, "and the queen will have your head."

His companion huffed in annoyance. "What should we do with them?" he asked.

"Let Her Ladyship decide."


End file.
